


Love like Ember.

by HP_of_the_North



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: And any of the unique tags you see, Different powers for Klaus and Vanya, F/M, I just wanted to keep it going, M/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, The Handler has Ursula make up, The Hargreeves Aren't Related, The original concept is all their idea, They're all their ideas, This story is adopted from Hunnydreams42, Vanya and Klaus are co-dependant, WhiteKraken, building up a relationship, klaus and vanya are twins, stone by stone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25571521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HP_of_the_North/pseuds/HP_of_the_North
Summary: Being special...it's not all it's cracked out to be. Being on the run for 8 years after their adopted mother was murdered in cold blood in front of them? Yeah...and all because they were special, unique. But now? It seems they've finally been caught and taken to the Commission's HQ. Now it seems like they're truly done for this time.
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Vanya Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Raymond Chestnut/Allison Hargreeves
Comments: 24
Kudos: 93





	1. The dead road.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, again, just to reiterate what I was saying in the tags, this story's adopted from Hunnydreams42. I really liked the idea of the story and wanted to keep it going, fair warning there's bad language in this and I guess you could say pseudo-incest but honestly, they're not even related bar Klaus and Vanya in this story so...not really pseudo-incest and I have to ask am I insane or did Diego and Vanya have a hell of a lot of tension in between them whenever they were in a scene together? I'm genuinely curious....well, thanks for reading. Everything from chapters 1-5 is all Hunnydreams42. I'll be taking over once we get to chapter six. Hope you enjoy our story!

They're moving again. Her and Klaus packed their measly belongings which consisted of toiletries and clothing and took off in their run down car. They didn't pause and they didn't look back, they never did. To settle and get attached to one place was dangerous, they should have known better, in their foolishness they attracted the attention of The Commission which's the last thing they wanted. It was a rookie mistake to make on their part. Vanya and Klaus grew up hearing horror stories of The Commission, how they treated people like them, special people with gifts that allowed them to do extraordinary things.This was possible because some people were born with an extra chromosome, doctors that had studied the first patients that exhibited this chrome called it an Aberrant Chromosome. No one knows just when this Chrome started developing in people nor if the Chrome has any particular pattern to those who it attaches itself to. The studies performed didn't give much results that gave insight into what about the Chrome allowed people their gifts, all that was known is that it altered their DNA, it made them different, it made them special. 

Grace, their adoptive mother, told them about The Commission. She had raised them in a secluded cabin that was in the middle of no where, nothing but empty brown fields surrounded it. Their parents had died in a car crash not long after they were born, the twins were then given to their aunt Grace. She took her job as their protector seriously and had moved all of them away from prying eyes. They were each born with an Aberrant Chrome and Grace had told them when they got older she was taking no chances of The Commission finding them and taking them away from her.

Their Chromes were unique in the sense that they complimented each other as a whole that was split just as they were. Together they had control over the four elements, individually Vanya controlled Water and Earth, Klaus controlled Fire and Air. Grace had drilled into them that they were extraordinary and bad people in the world wanted to control that, use it, weaponize it and make more like it and they couldn't allow that to happen. She had died protecting them from The Commission, an organization that housed the bad people they were warned about since they were in diapers. They didn't believe Grace for the longest time because they were sheltered but when men in black leather came into the cabin armed with guns and needles they knew those horror stories weren't just stories. It was because of Grace that they were able to escape, it cost her life in return for their freedom.

That was 8 years ago, Klaus and Vanya have been on the run since. They never did find out how The Commission found them hidden in their cabin, they still don't know how they pick up their trail even now years later, but they always do, and when that happens they leave everything they managed to build and start over in the next city or town.  
They didn't have a real life, they couldn't set down roots or connect with people in fear of getting caught. All they had was each other, their powers, and their one suitcase a piece.

“What are you thinking about?” Klaus asked her from his place in the driver seat, they were on a long dead road heading to God knows where, to start over and it was Klaus's turn to drive.

“Nothing in particular,” Klaus threw a frown her way knowing she was lying, sometimes she really hates that they're twins, they couldn't lie to each other without the other one knowing it. Vanya isn't sure how it works for other twins, if it's normal or not but she and Klaus were connected, she felt his presence in her head and in her emotions, just as he felt her, in a lot of ways they were the same person though their personalities don't reflect it.

Klaus was the more outspoken of them, Vanya tended to fade into the background but not Klaus. He attracted attention like a beacon which wasn't a good thing, trying to keep a low profile didn't work with bright colored shirts and leather so tight it looked painted on.

“You want to try that again?” He smirked at her, his eyes shifted from the road to her and back again.

“Are we ever gonna be able to live a normal life?” It was an old topic that Vanya has yet to accept, Klaus was okay with the idea of constantly moving and jumping from place to place, he didn't like it but as long as he and Vanya were safe then he could ask for nothing more. But Vanya wanted to settle down, she wanted to find someone to be with and share a life with, she wanted that all consuming love in those trashy romance novels her and Klaus would read.

“You know the answer to that,” Klaus said, he hated the disappointment and sadness that shined in his twins' eyes. He didn't like when Vanya brought up the topic, his answer to that same question never changed.

“It's not the answer I want,” Vanya said with bitterness, it was unfair of her to treat it like it was Klaus's fault and she knew that but that was the problem with not having anyone else around them, they often had to play multiple people for each other, a friend, a sibling, a parent, a mentor, a therapist, whatever they needed in that moment.

“It's never gonna be,” Klaus gently said, he reached his hand across the middle compartment that separated them and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Where are we even going?” She changed the subject, the more she thought about all the things she couldn't experience in her life the more bitter she was to the wrong person and Klaus has never deserved to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

“Hell if I know,” she rolled her eyes at his response. They never did set out a plan before leaving, they just drove until one or both of them were tired of driving and they would chose the next town or city they came across as their temporary living place.

“I don't want to keep driving this time Klaus, I want to have a destination in mind,” she said to him, she wasn't in the mood for their mini road trips, the last place they were coming from has been the longest that they've been able to stay in one area without worry (at least it was until The Commission ruined it for them), but being there for those months had Vanya hoping for something that couldn't be and she grew spoiled in that time. She wasn't ready to let the delusion go yet.

“We'll stop sooner this time but not before I know we're a good distance away,” she could deal with that, it was better than him telling her to just deal with it.

Klaus was older by 6 minutes and he took his role as “big” brother to heart, sometimes to much and it ends up causing an argument between them. He was too overprotective, it suffocated her. But if Vanya stops to think where she'd be today if Klaus wasn't with her she has to admit, she doesn't like the answer. Her and Klaus needed each other, they've never been separated for very long, the longest having been 2 days and that was when they were young and Vanya begged Grace to take her to the city to feel normal, they went and played pretend for an entire weekend. When they had gotten back to the cabin Klaus attached himself to her and wouldn't let her out of his sight for more than a few minutes. Since then they've only spent a few hours tops away from the other. Which was for the best, they were being hunted like prey and they stood a better chance together then they did apart so to be separated for too long was dangerous for them. 

They drove and drove and then drove some more, her and Klaus switching seats every couple hours, so one or the other wouldn't be driving more. It was a mostly silent drive, conversation was nonexistent after Vanya brought up the lack of order and rhythm in their lives. Klaus hated that he couldn't give her that but she had to understand that to give her what she wanted he would be signing her over to The Commission. After what felt like days later they finally stopped, Vanya didn't know what city or town they were in, she truthfully didn't care as long as they could get out of the car and rest on an actual bed. She would take hell at this point if it had a bed and blanket. Klaus was driving again and he pulled the car into the next Motel parking lot that they came across.

“Come on, let's go rent a room,” he told her as he exited the car, Vanya following after. She paused outside the car door to stretch her legs and arms out, she was tiny compared to Klaus's lanky tall figure but it didn't mean her bones were any more equipped to being packed in a tiny car for a long duration of time. Her bones cracked and popped as she twisted herself about to get the soreness out.

They walked together to the front office where an over weight middle aged lady with bright pink eye-shadow, red lipstick and dyed black hair sat behind the wooden desk that looked a second away from collapsing. She had absurdly long nails that had jewels the size of Vanya's finger nail on them, she was smacking a piece of gum between her teeth like she was doing her best impersonation of a cow. Vanya hated coming to places that looked like people got murdered in them, her and Klaus could protect themselves just fine but they still made her cringe.

“How can I help you?” The lady spoke, she looked between Klaus and Vanya curiously. 

“One room please,” Klaus took the lead as he always did. Vanya was content to stay at his back and let him do all the talking.

“One bed or two?” The lady asked, she started typing on a keyboard that connected to an ancient computer that had seen better days. Klaus looked to his sister in a silent question, the grip on his shirt from Vanya's hand gave him his answer. Vanya would want to cuddle with a warm body tonight, sometimes she got in these bouts where she clinged to Klaus in need of another person's comfort, most times it was right after taking off from whatever town or city they were in and moving on to the next one.

“One,” he stated as he pulled out his fake ID that said his name was Liam Grey and a wad of cash to pay for the room for the night. It took far too long to get a room but eventually the lady finally handed them over the key card and wish them a half hearted “good night” and “enjoy your stay” before she turned her attention to her insane nails.

Klaus grabbed her hand and led her out the door and to the car for their suitcases, and after that to the room. Pushing open the door and peering inside Vanya glanced around the room, she looked at the full sized bed with a red comforter on it and far too many pillows to the square boxed TV set that probably got at most four channels, to the little two chaired table that held a microwave and coffee maker with packaged coffee and white foam cups on top of it. As far as motels go this one was one of the cleanest they've been to, at least this one didn't have any mysterious blotched stains on the carpet.

“You want to shower first?” Klaus set their things on the bed and dug through them to find them each a set of sweatpants and tank-tops to go to sleep in.

“I'm gonna take a bath so if you want to grab a shower first it's fine with me,” she needed to grab hold of and make moments of normal when she could, and for her that means taking the time to enjoy a relaxing bath. Klaus nodded, grabbing his things and walked to the bathroom, the shower started not two minutes later.

She didn't know what to do with herself as she waited so she figured watching some 80's sitcom on one of the few channels on the TV would have to do. Flipping through the few working channels she stopped on a news broadcast that announced an interview segment. A blonde lady with a black dress that fell to her knees with Ursula makeup splattered on her face appeared on the screen, she was being questioned by a reporter, the bottom of the screen stated she was head of the Research Development Team that worked for The Commission.

“What exactly is your goal as an organization? Why do Aberrant Chromed individuals need to be detained by your organization?” The young man asked her, he looked fresh out of college and ready to dive into his career with enthusiasm.

“Our goal is simple, we aim to protect our society and the way to protect it, is to obtained the dangers within it, which are Aberrant Chromed individuals. They are dangerous and uncontrollable, without guidance and a firm hand they'll run wild and there's nothing standing in their way if they chose to cause mayhem,” she said it so matter a fact like they're born evil and with a need to control and dominate everything in their paths when in reality they were ordinary people who just wanted to fit in and not be hunted like animals.

“You don't believe our government stands a chance against them?” he questioned her.

“These individuals can do extraordinary things that can and will throw curve balls in any battle or war. Just recently we acquired a young boy who can teleport and a woman who can control anyone she wants. Their abilities are what makes them dangerous to us and we need to neutralize those abilities.” _More like weaponize and control them_. Vanya thought.

“A lot of people are curious as to what happens to them when they get captured by your organization? Are they safe? Are they being treated wrongly? Being experimented on?” The young man was looking more uncomfortable the further their conversation went on.

“They go through a series of testing to determine just how strong their abilities are and to be able to determine which level to classify them in. I can assure you they're not treated wrongly, they're given three square meals a day along with proper education and entertainment, and they're allowed to converse among one another. They're not being experimented on, I don't know where that rumor came from but it's false. The Commission isn't the enemy, we just want what's best for everyone involved,” Vanya wonders if anyone else watching this is catching the lies that this woman is telling.

“Levels?” he asked, Vanya was curious about that as well.

“We have 3 levels that we section them into based on the potential threat of their abilities. Level 1 is the least threatening and dangerous, someone who can see the future would be classified in this section. Level 2 is the in-between threatening level, the individuals I mentioned just now would be classified as a level 2 threat because they have some form of an active ability. Level 3's are the most dangerous and threatening, they are those who would be near impossible to bring down in a fight, someone with telekinesis or the ability to alter your reality would be classified in this section. Though I'll be honest, some of the abilities that come to us cross over into each level, it really just depends, it's more of a reference for the organization to know what they're dealing with, in the case of an emergency,” her disgustingly sweet smile made Vanya want to gag.

Just as the woman was opening her mouth to say more the TV clicked off, she turned around to face the bed where she had left the remote. Klaus was standing there with the remote in his hand aimed at the TV, he had a light green towel wrapped around his slim hips, and his hair was dripping water to the floor.

“You don't need to be watching that Vanya,” she wanted to voice her disagreement to that but didn't. Her and Klaus were exhausted so there was no use in trying to argue with as little energy as they had, so instead she nodded.

She grabbed her towel and without a word went to the bathroom to take a bath, setting the water to as hot as it would go before stripping her clothing and getting in. The ache she's felt in her shoulders all day was slowly leaving her body the longer she stayed in the bath, she heard the TV click back on in the other room and rolled her eyes, she couldn't watch it but apparently he could.

As she laid there she swirled the water up and created a mini tornado on the surface of the calm water below it. She use to do this in the miniature pool Grace would pull out for them in the summers to entertain Klaus, he loved watching the water swirl and jump on its own, loved watching it make figures that danced. He would beg her every time to make the water come alive, he could do the same to the flames and the air but he always said it was more calming and beautiful when it was her doing it to the water. So Vanya every time would play the water like an instrument so she could see the smile on Klaus's face.

She swished her hand and the mini tornado fell into the water of the tub and was no more. Later that night as she and Klaus settled onto the lumpy mattress, pressed close together, Klaus's arm intertwined with her waist and dragged her up against his body and tucked his face into her neck, she thought about the levels of threat The Commission assigned to people like them, and couldn't help but wonder what threat level would the organization believe her and Klaus to be.


	2. Of brawls and handsome men.

A few weeks later found them in Salem, Massachusetts, Klaus thought it was hilarious and ironic for them to settle in a city that was famous for hunting down people other people believed to be supernatural and witchy, Vanya was just glad to be settling again, at least for the time being.

They luckily were able to make a smooth transition, they hit the jackpot with a restaurant/bar that hired both of them in need of a bartender and waitress, and were able to move into a 1 bedroom apartment. It didn't have any furniture in it and they were currently sleeping on an air mattress, but they've had worse so as far as they were concerned, it was good.

Vanya, when getting hired, sent a silent “thank you” to Klaus's freaky friends in Chicago, one of the first places they stayed at after Grace had died. Klaus naturally attracted the attention of everyone in viewpoint of him, so it was no surprise when he introduced his friends that had sketchy hobbies to Vanya, having met them at some rave he attended for a couple of hours. Those friends were and still are the ones who provided/provide them with their fake documents that make it possible to be hidden for longer from The Commission. In the years that followed Grace's death, Vanya has been a number of other girls and Klaus has been a number of other boys, currently they were Liam and Nina Grey. Unlike Klaus, Vanya didn't like adding backstories to their fake identities, she didn't need to so she saw no point in it, but Klaus got entertained by it so she humored him and played along to whatever crazy backstory his brain came up with. 

She hopes they could stay in Salem for a good chunk of time, she was tired of running but the alternative of stopping wasn't an option. But she didn't think some slice of normal like they had before was too much to ask for.

It was their ninth day of work and they had the evening shift, having requested they work the same shifts, and Vanya was taking orders from hungry customers coming in getting a head start on the weekend. It was Friday evening, groups of co-workers, friends, and family were coming through the doors. The restaurant they worked for doubled as a sports bar, it was a strange mixture between the two but Vanya thought it had a nice atmosphere and had good vibes to it.

Every ten or so minutes she would let her eyes travel back to Klaus who was working behind the bar and their eyes would meet, the need to check on one another ingrained in their heads and automatic in their actions. Currently Klaus was flirting with a man on the other side of the bar, the size of the guy had Vanya frowning. He was huge, his shoulder span was half of Vanya's entire height, his blonde hair shined bright from the overhead lights above him, he was in the midst of throwing his head back in laughter at whatever Klaus was saying to him, even from so far away Vanya could see the dimples that punctured his cheeks. Klaus's eyes met hers for the millionth time that evening, Vanya relaxed when he wiggled his eyebrows at her with a smile, her twin deserved to flirt his little heart out whenever he wanted and she wasn't going to ruin that simply because the guys' size was alarming.

“Hi, my name's Nina, I'll be your waitress this evening, are you ready to order?” Vanya looked up from her yellow notepad to the table in front of her, her voice having recited her lines perfectly, fake name and all. Her eyes traveled over the man who sat alone at a two chair table, she let her chocolate eyes roll over him from his feet to his head, her heart gave a jump at the immediate attraction she felt for this stranger. Her eyes finally landed on his deep brown ones and she was embarrassed to see the teasing grin on his face at her less than subtle checkout .

“You like what you see, I take it,” he joked, the smile on his face growing wider.

“Oh my God, I'm so sorry, that was completely unprofessional of me. I'm sorry,” she rushed to apologize to him. God, she was like a creeper man in a bar that checked out the dancing girls and made them feel naked with his sleazy gaze on them, “I can get you another waitress if you'd like?” She was going to die of embarrassment, Klaus was probably at the bar laughing his ass off, she was no where near as smooth as him.

“Don't worry about it,” he assured her, “I like what I see too,” he winked at her. Poor Klaus was going to be on the run by himself from now on, she was digging her own grave tonight and throwing herself in it.

“I'm Diego,” the man introduced himself, Vanya wondered how red her face must be right now. What was happening? Normally it was Klaus that got people gravitating towards him. As per example, the guy at the bar, but not Vanya, the last person to flirt with her was some dude four years ago who actually wanted Klaus and was trying to get through her for him, how on earth that man thought it was a foolproof plan to getting with her brother, she'll never know.

“Va-Nina, I'm Nina,” she almost smacked her arm for her near slip up, she wanted to tell him her real name, which surprised her. She just met the man and yes it was nice to be on the receiving end of some attention but that didn't mean she should give all her secrets away to him.

“It's very nice to meet you Nina,” he smiled big at her again before picking up his menu and glancing over it, “I would like the steak with potatoes and broccoli, and a coke to drink, please and thank you.”

She wrote down his order, “I'll be right back with that,” as she walked away from the table she could feel his eyes burning holes into her spine but she refused to look back.

She had kind of hoped he would continue to flirt with her but he just ordered instead, maybe she had read the situation wrong and his compliment was just to lessen her embarrassment over being caught checking him out. On her way to the kitchen to drop off the slip of paper, she checked on Klaus who was helping some other customer some seats down from the big guy, seeing that he was fine she continued on her way.

The guy, Diego, was probably there on a date, he was sitting at a two person table after all, maybe his date was running late and to pass the time he was seeing how gullible she was in her obvious attraction to him. She waited outside the kitchen for the cooks to be done with his order, normally she would be getting his drink in the mean time but she didn't want to go to his table any more than necessary especially after her last thought that he was waiting on someone.

Klaus's amusement could be felt through the bond that connected them, she could feel him laughing at her, “Shut up Klaus,” she muttered under her breath, a couple of people gave her the side eye, having heard her but she ignored them.

When his food was done she had one of the waiters, Micah if she remembered his name correctly, follow her to get his coke and then to Diego's table which still only had him seated at it. Vanya wasn't going to question right now why seeing the empty chair across from him had her feeling relieved.

“Enjoy your food,” her and Micah spoke together, she walked off before he could say anything back to them. She went on to the next table there was a group of seven guy friends with a girl thrown into the mix, they were loud and rowdy but she didn't mind because it was able to take her mind off of the stranger that was suddenly consuming her thoughts.

It was at the drink station serving glass after glass of beer for the rowdy table that Klaus came up behind her and hugged her, pressing his lips to her ear “So who's the hotty that's got you all confuzzled?”

Vanya should have known Klaus wasn't going to wait to get home to start hounding his questions at her, he's always been too noisy for his own good.

“No one, just a customer that I humiliated myself in front of,” she grumbled in response. She stacked the glasses of beer on 2 round trays and motioned for Klaus to grab one and follow her over to the table that was now drawing attention from other customers because the guys were screaming at the TV stationed right in front of them, it was playing a football game. 

“He looked like he was pretty into you,” Klaus tried assuring her, they started handing out the glasses to each person at the table, “In fact he hasn't taken his eyes off of you, he's still staring,” it took everything in Vanya not to look at Diego's table to see if what Klaus said is true or if he's just trying to make her feel better. “Hey guys, can you please keep the noise down? We have other customers here and not all of them are as enthusiastic about the sport,” Vanya said to the table, their screams to the TV were now attracting too much attention to be comfortable, judging by the red haze each of them, but the girl, have in their eyes that she hadn't noticed the first time around, they've already had a few too many to drink. The table ignored her and if anything seemed to get louder somehow.

“Excuse me, can you guys please keep the noise down?” she asked them, taking on a more commanding tone, her and Klaus haven't been working here two weeks yet and already she has to deal with customers like this. They still ignored her, they acted like they couldn't even see her, the only one that seemed to give her any attention at all was the girl, who threw her a fake apologetic look.

“Hey assholes! Keep it down!” Another customer had called over to them from their own table, it was a man that was there with what looked like his wife and parents.

“I'm gonna go get the manager, you make sure no one starts any fights,” she ordered to Klaus, who had nodded his head with an eye roll, she felt that eye roll in her soul. This wasn't the first time her and Klaus worked in a restaurant/bar setting, sometimes places like this, attracted the worst people.

By the time she made it back with the manager, Klaus was in the middle of the customer that had yelled at the table and two guys from the rowdy one, hands held out trying to defuse a situation that had escalated beyond its worth. The manager ran over with panic on her face, the poor woman wasn't expecting this and Vanya felt bad for her.

Vanya trailed after her, intent on getting her twin out from between the mess that was about to happen, but before she could reach him one of the drunk guys raised his fist and slammed it into Klaus's cheek, Vanya's own cheek stung from the hit.

“Fuck!” Klaus spat out, he was holding his cheek with one hand, the other positioned out close to the guys' chest.

Vanya's left palm started tingling with cold air, a tell tale sign that Klaus was generating air around his own palm. An arm grabbed her and pulled her back from getting closer, she struggled against it without looking to see who had grabbed her.

“Nina!” Her ears throbbed from the shout, Diego positioned himself in front of her still holding her arm, “You can't get in the middle of that,” his voice rang with concern, Vanya's tingled palm was wrapped in his and she wanted to yank it away, not because his hand felt unpleasant in hers but because she was scared he would be able to feel something. Her eyes were focused on her brother and she was relieved when she saw him take a step back from the drunk guys. The manager said something to them that had them scrambling back to the table and out the door, along with the other people they came in with. 

She lightly tugged her arm and hand away from Diego's grip and speed walked to Klaus who was asking the other customer if they were okay, like he was the one that got hit in the face with a fist.

“Klaus!” She rushed up to him and checked over his face first, a light bruise was starting on his cheek and spreading, she focused her attention to his hands next, hers were no longer tingling but his were trembling from unused power that was generated and not released, they needed to leave soon otherwise they were going to make a bigger scene.

“I'm okay,” he whispered to her, just as he said that the big guy he was flirting with earlier came over from his place at the bar and asked if he was okay.

“Yeah I'm good, thank you Luther,” Klaus said back, Vanya was a little upset that he didn't intervene when it could have been helpful, with his size alone those men would have went running in the other direction.

“I'm sorry I didn't come help you, I didn't even know what was going on, the crowd kind of made it hard to see what the commotion was,” Luther apologized, regret in his voice for not stepping up to help someone in need, especially someone whom he was joking and flirting with not 10 minutes beforehand.

“Klaus?” Their managers' voice rang out with a questioning tone. Vanya hadn't meant to say his real name on purpose, it was a natural reaction to being panicked.

“It's my middle name boss,” Klaus smoothly jumped in with an explanation, no concern or worry on his face or in his voice. He always told her people believed what they saw, the more confident and calm you were in response to them the likelier the were to believe whatever you said to them. Vanya hasn't quite mastered that herself, she's never been good at deception or lying, it's a miracle she hasn't gotten them caught by The Commission yet.

“How about you two get something to eat and take the rest of the night off,” she told them after she considered what Klaus had said, she walked away from them and towards the customer that had yelled at all the drunks when they nodded in unison.

“Are you sure you're good, man? That guy knocked you pretty hard,” Vanya was startled out of her obsessive checking to make sure her brother was okay by Diego's voice. She had thought he went back to his seat when she tugged herself away from him, too anxious to check if Klaus was alright.

“Everyone needs to stop fussing, I'm fine,” Klaus let his eyes roam over the stranger before turning his teasing eyes to Vanya, “And you are?” he asked Diego, a question Vanya felt was unnecessary, he was obviously the customer she embarrassed herself in front of. 

“Diego, nice to meet you,” he shook hands with Klaus.

“Likewise, I'm Liam, I would introduce my sister but you've seemed to have already met her,” Vanya wanted to hit the smile off his face.

“Yeah,” Vanya's face was heating up with the attention now focused on her, “Can I walk you guys outside? Make sure you get to your car alright,” Diego's hand reached up to rub the back of his neck in a sheepish manner.

“I was just about to ask the same thing,” the big guy, Luther, spoke up from his spot across from them, Vanya had forgotten he was even there, her attention split between embarrassment and worry, she guessed he wanted to make up for not helping Klaus out even though it wasn't his fault nor his responsibility to. Vanya does think it would have scared those stupid customers to have someone this guys' size stepping up to them but he was under no obligation to just because he flirted with Klaus, Vanya herself felt a little guilty for her early thought of being upset with him. 

“You gentlemen are more than welcome to walk us ladies out to the car, Lord knows we're dainty and we could use some big strong men, in more ways than one if you catch my drift,” Klaus clicked his tongue at them and winked, Vanya giggled when a blush spread through their faces at her brother's insinuation.

“I think the whole state caught your drift Klaus, you're not subtle,” Vanya mumbled to him, he laughed in return without care.

After getting food from the kitchen, because who were they to turn down free food, Luther and Diego walked with the twins to their crappy car, it was a silent walk. When they finally reached the car, they stood at the trunk, all of them looked at each other awkwardly, not entirely sure what to say or do.

“Can I have your number?” Diego blurted out to Vanya when the silence was becoming overbearing, before she could answer though Klaus opened his mouth and spoke for her.

“We just moved here actually, so no number unfortunately,” it wasn't the full truth but it wasn't a lie either, her and Klaus don't have phones, there was no need for them when they were around each other constantly, plus they didn't want to risk The Commission tracking them through the phones.

“You can definitely take her out to dinner though, come back here to the restaurant tomorrow and you guys can schedule something,” Klaus set up a date for her in front of her, she didn't know whether to thank him or smack him.

“Yeah? Is that okay with you Nina?” Diego nervously asked her.

“Yeah of course, I'll see you tomorrow,” Vanya was giddy inside, her heart jumped when he threw a big grin at her. He said his goodbyes before walking over to a car across the lot. Vanya thought Klaus was going to say something similar to the big guy but he just thanked him for walking them and told him not to feel guilty about not interfering with the commotion in the restaurant and gave him a handshake which the big guy seemed content with. He dragged her to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her to get in, him getting in on the driver side.

“Why did you do that?” They were pulling out of the parking lot when she questioned him. She was excited that she had a date, the feeling of that happiness swelled in her chest, threatening to break free, but when she thought about it.....what was the point in becoming attached to someone when she would eventually have to leave?

“You like him Vanya, a lot. There's no harm in going on a date with him, get out of the house for a little bit and be normal for a while,” Klaus just wanted her to be happy, he couldn't give her everything she wanted but he could try to give her as much normal as possible, which included going on fun dates with someone she was attracted to. A few dates didn't mean love, marriage, and kids. 

“You didn't want a date with the big guy?” she asked, if she was going to get a slice of normal, he should to.

“Luther? God no! He was fun to flirt with but he's not my type,” Klaus scoffed, his twin, she should know this already. Luther was a good looking guy but Klaus just didn't feel anything when he was flirting with him, it was fun but that's as far as it goes.

“You should go out and be normal for a while to,” Vanya scanned the trees they were passing on the road, wind currents were making them swish dangerously back and forth, they looked a second away from being ripped from their roots “Klaus?”

“Sorry, I'm not doing it on purpose,” he clenched his fists on the wheel and the trees stopped moving. Vanya thought it was interesting how the energy of Klaus using his powers was settled in her and vice versa but she herself couldn't control his part of the elements and he couldn't control hers.

She could feel them, the abilities were as real as her own but they were phantom powers, she felt them but she couldn't use them or control them. Her and Klaus hadn't had much practice with their powers. Grace had tried getting them to practice on the fields but when Klaus produced wind currents that picked up into an unexpected tornado, and caused a fire to spark. Blazing flames had licked their toes and when Vanya had made the earth shake beneath their feet and cracked the brown fields open, and caused toys to drown in the whirlpool she produced in the pool that she had dragged out in anticipation of the experimentation of their abilities, Grace panicked and told them that suppressing was better than practicing. Since then, they hadn't done much but party tricks for each other, not once questioning their aunt Grace's advice to suppress what made them special. 

“Just don't go knocking trees over and we're good,” the trees started at a smoother swishing, so unlike the violent shake they had been at before.

Maybe they should be getting more practice time in with their abilities, at the very least they should know the fullest extent of their powers and have better control over them. Sometimes incidents like this one made it apparent that they had so little control over their abilities, thankfully nothing dangerous has resulted from them. But Vanya isn't confident that'll always be the case.


	3. Stake out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember up until chapter 6, this's all Hunnydreams42's work. I just edited it slightly.

Reginald was waiting in a park that was completely deserted. The bench beneath him was digging into his bottom and making his legs twitch with pain from sitting for a long period of time. Physically he was getting too old for this shit, but the thrill of catching a target was what kept him young spiritually, so to give that up any time soon wasn't on his list of things to do. He's been in the park for a few hours now, patiently waiting for his men to come with information. Unfortunately for him they had no company head quarters located here in Salem, so they were stuck making do with what they had, which was rented rooms in a hotel.

He had no desire for this information to possibly be heard in the hotel, hence the reason for his being in an empty park. He knew the job wasn't fast or easy, in hindsight he could've waited a while longer to come here but the targets they were after have been his only mistake in his long career, they were the ones that got away, he was eager for this to be what he's waited so long for. He's been so close to catching them so many times, only to have them slip through his fingers like dust, he would have had them that first time so many years ago had it not been for that blonde bimbo who helped them escape, he made sure she paid for it with her life though. He would have had them a few weeks ago too but his men who were new to this particular case underestimated their senses of danger, the targets were like bloodhounds, they could smell The Commission a mile off, it'll be nothing short of a miracle if this plan actually works. 

“Hargreeves,” in his distraction, he failed to hear the vehicles pull in and hear his men walking towards him. All of them dressed in civilian clothing, looking like any other man or woman on the street, he hoped they behaved as they looked when confronted with the targets. They walked until they stood in front of him, and then paused to wait for a response.

“Report,” he ordered from his two best men, they stood in front of the rest, dominance rolling off them in waves. He hand picked them and trained them himself, they followed orders blindly, the perfect soldiers. They had Aberrant Chromosomes like the people they hunted, level 2's that Reginald used for his own profit.

The Commission had acquired them when they were just little boys playing with trucks, running around without a care in the world. Their naivety and innocence made it possible for him to mold them into his puppets that did what he said, when he said to do it. Luther's ability of super strength and Diego's of agility and knowledge and accuracy of any weapon in his possession, made them top ranking Soldiers that benefited The Commission as well.

Their usefulness and committing nature had them stationed at the main headquarters of The Commission located in New York, testing, training, and supervising the targets they obtained. Reginald had brought them on to this case a few months before and hasn't regretted it. In the last weeks they've been able to expertly track the targets, and today they've made contact with them, with any luck his men will report that they know where they live and they can stop this game of cat and mouse.

“The scene we started didn't cause either of them to use their abilities sir,” he nodded his head in understanding, he knows the targets don't have complete control of their powers but they weren't reckless either. He had hoped they would use them though, it was easier to fortify The Commission's purpose and rationalize it when the targets made public displays of themselves losing control and hurting civilians. Often times like now The Commission was responsible in causing scenes that overwhelmed the targets to get them to lose control, no one but themselves was privy to that information though.

“Any new information on them?” He was so close to them and he wanted to just take without thought but he sent his soldiers in with hopes of getting new information on them before they took them. With their knack for changing states and identities, Reginald doesn't know much about them. He knows they have abilities that deal in nature, what exactly he wasn't sure, he knows they're siblings, and he knows that the woman he killed was a sort of mother to them, but beyond that irrelevant information there isn't anything else he knows about them. He wouldn't admit it out loud because his obsession with them has already been noted and pointed out with concern, but he was desperate to know anything and everything about them, he was yearning to tear them apart piece by piece, craving to have them be his puppets on strings that he could pull.

“The male target likes men and women, and has no aversion to flirting with random people,” Luther told him, he had not planned on going to the bar with intentions of flirting with the male target but he was dragged into it much to his surprise. He has to admit though, it wasn't the worse situation, he didn't like men but the target had a way with words and had him laughing in minutes.

Reginald didn't know if that could be of use in the future or not, the free spirit of sexuality, but he would keep it filed away just in case.

“They don't own phones, they're protective of each other, and the female target is shy. Her brother scheduled a meeting for us tomorrow to plan a date when he noticed her attraction to me,” Diego listed off, Reginald figured they had no phones, he never found records for them, anyways, he also suspected they were protective of each other, they would be considering they're siblings, for Diego to make a point to say it though must mean their protective nature for each other must run deeper than he previously thought.

The shyness of the female didn't shock him, she looked like a wall flower that didn't want attention on her and that faded into the background desperate, so as to not be noticed. But like her brother's sexuality, maybe her attraction for his Soldier could be used against her in the future when he had them right where he wanted them, in a cell, locked away.

“Do we know where they live?” he asked them, this was the information they needed. He wouldn't pull the same mistake he did the first time and attack during daylight hours, if they had an address he wondered if it would be best to go now or wait until tomorrow night, he was hesitant to wait though, the longer they waited the more likely it was for the targets to sniff them out and take off.

“Yes sir, we followed them after they left,” Luther answered, he thought they would see him and Diego in the car behind them but they didn't, in fact they didn't seem to have noticed anything in their surroundings, possibly to strung up from the incident in the restaurant.

“Go get in your gear, and get the sedatives and bracelets ready, we go for them tonight,” he watched as all his men but Luther and Diego scrambled to do as he said. They regarded him for a minute in silent observation before nodding and walking off. 

His fingers inched with how close he was to his targets, he would have them tonight, he was to anxious too wait any longer, he could hardly be faulted for his impatience, not when he could practically taste his victory on his tongue.

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Vanya was trembling, her body didn't want to listen to her head when it said to stop, it didn't listen to her rationalize that there was no reason to be scared. She could protect herself, and in any case that she couldn't, Klaus would never let anything happen to her. That was hard to do and comprehend though with the sight in front of her, she couldn't help flinching back when she felt Klaus's fear against her own, all hope was lost if Klaus was scared as well.

The loud screams from the horror movie they put on had Vanya throwing the blankets up and over her head from the air mattress her and Klaus were on, she scrambled over the little bit of space between them and pressed herself against Klaus. She thinks it would be more comforting for her if Klaus didn't yank the blankets up again and hide under them right along with her.

“Oh fuck no! Whose idea was it for us to watch this again?!” He peeked his head out of the blanket, only to shriek and hide back underneath it. After they had came home, Klaus got a wild hair up his butt to go to a pawn shop and buy a cheap TV and a DVD set with a few movies to keep them entertained for the night, Vanya thought it was a good idea, the quiet of the apartment was becoming too much for her, she needed something to at least be playing in the background so the ringing of bells when it got to silent would go away.

“It was your idea, idiot!” Vanya yelled at him, she couldn't believe she let him talk her into watching a horror film, one that was advertised as a true story nonetheless, _“Paranormal Activity”_ was playing on the screen and she wanted nothing more than to turn it off, but that would require getting out from under the protection of the blankets and she wasn't that brave. Vanya doesn't even know why she agreed to watch it, she hated scary movies, the feeling of her stomach clamping up and coming up her throat was an unpleasant sensation, the jumps and trembling didn't help either. Plus she was like a little kid, she got nightmares any time she watched horror movies, and they lasted for weeks after she sees the movie.

But Klaus wanted to watch it, he picked it up in the bargain bin at the pawn shop, the little red sticker in the corner claimed it was “on sale” for $1.99. She didn't want to watch the movie but she wasn't going to tell him so when he seemed so excited to watch it, the attendant couldn't believe they hadn't watched it yet but Vanya and Klaus didn't comment back to his observations. She hopes Klaus was kicking himself in the ass now for picking it, judging by his fear that somehow seemed stronger than her own, he was.

It wasn't even that the movie was particularly scary in the sense that it had gory and graphic details, Vanya and Klaus would be able to handle that, but what they couldn't handle, and what this movie seemed to be filled with. was jump scares. The suspense and the anticipation of what's going to happen next, is getting to them, they couldn't handle the creaking of the doors, the moving of furniture, or the glimpses of shadows.

“Well it was a horrible idea, go turn it off!” Klaus wanted the full experience of a scary movie so he turned off all the lights, so Vanya couldn't see his face clearly, really all she could see was his silhouette highlighted by the glow coming through the blankets from the TV.

“Okay.... but if I die I'm coming back to haunt your ass,” she warned him, she was going to fully make do on that threat if she died a horrible death by a vengeful spirit because he didn't have the sense to leave on at least one light.

Taking the deepest breath imaginable, she counted to three in her head, when she hit the third number she jumped from the blankets and ran the small distance to the light switch that was by the room door, before running back to the TV that was located near where Klaus's lump of body was seen on the mattress. She pressed her finger multiple times on the open/close button, finally the DVD clicked and slid out, the TV going a light blue waiting for the next movie to be inserted in.

“Is it off?” Klaus's muffled voice came from the lump, she giggled to herself, God they were ridiculous and absolute chicken shits who couldn't handle a scary movie.

“Yeah ya chicken noodle, it's safe to come out now,” she watched as he peeked his head out and looked around like he expected something to come springing forth before he pushed himself up and to his feet to stretch.

“Never let me make a stupid ass decision like that again,” he told her as he leaned down to pick up the foam plates that carried their food that they got from the restaurant. Vanya followed him out of the room and to the incredibly empty living-room, they seriously needed to invest in a couch at the very least, the bare space made Vanya feel to vulnerable and out in the open.

“I make no promises, our lives are interesting because of your stupid ass decisions,” she couldn't stop the giggles that erupted from her throat, it was true though, Klaus kept her going in their fucked up world.

“No more scary movies though, we're chicken shits who can't handle that,” he voiced out loud what she had silently been thinking moments before, sometimes the invisible link between them really freaked her out. She felt like she wasn't alone in her own head most times, she knew Klaus couldn't read her mind and she obviously couldn't read his but this wasn't the first time that they've picked up on each other's thoughts in this sense.

“You more than me,” she teased him, she deserved a medal of validation for being the one to risk her life when she heroically jumped from the bed and turned off the TV and turned on the lights.

“You rescued me tonight Vanya, you're my knight in shining armor. I shall give you my favor the next time you go to battle for us,” he dramatically flared the loose skirt he put on for bed and bent down in a mock bow to her.

“Shut up,” She pushed him out of his bow, “We should go to bed, it's late and we've got work tomorrow.”

“You mean you have a date to plan tomorrow,” he ducked and ran to their shared room when her arm came up to smack him. Her arm went through empty space where Klaus had previously been, she let out a frustrated growl, she wouldn't admit it out loud (it's not like she really needed to anyways) but Klaus wasn't wrong. She was looking forward to work tomorrow because a certain gorgeous brown eyed man was coming to plan a date with her. She wanted to look her best which meant not having bags under her eyes that made it look like she hadn't slept in 50 years.

“I'm not saying you're right...but thank you, for you know, telling him to come back tomorrow,” she wouldn't have had that confidence to pursue anything had Klaus not intervened in their conversation by the car. She knows it's not exactly everything she wants and she knows that it's just a date but it was something that she was looking forward to, it was also a chance to test the waters to see if she and Klaus could extend beyond themselves.

Klaus didn't say anything to her, just wrapped her up in his arms and gave her a tight hug that squeezed the breath out of her lungs. He hopes she's not getting to ahead of herself with all of this, he doesn't want her to be disappointed in the end if it doesn't work out the way she wants it to, or the way she imagines it to in her head. But for right now he was happy to hug his twin and let her know silently that he would give her the world on a gold platter if he could.

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Diego watched the shadowed figures in the window of the second story apartment building from his place in the black SUV. They had a thin almost clear sheet up to cover the window but it didn't do such a good job, the light from inside the room illuminated it and shadowed the figures within the room.

He was seated in the driver side of the truck with Luther occupying the passenger seat, other men dressed in their similar black leather uniforms that was provided by The Commission were in the hallowed out back area of the SUV, waiting for him or Luther to give them orders. They were waiting for the light in the room to go off, after that they would give the targets an appropriate amount of time to go to sleep before moving in. It was easier to give unmoving and unsuspecting figures sedatives and strap bracelets to their wrists, in any case it's a lot less bruising for Diego when they don't put up much of a fight. 

Glancing around the parking lot he spotted the other two SUV's hidden between the various cars. Their vehicle housed the unit that would go into the apartment and make first contact with the targets. The second SUV housed backup that would stay near exits and take care of curious neighbors if there were any. The third SUV was the unit that would move in after they were done to take care of loose ends and enforce the need of The Commission to the public by staging an incident and a story.

It would've been simpler for them if their earlier plan had worked to get one or both of the targets to lose control of their abilities in public. Diego supposed though that sometimes things don't always work out as planned, he has a bit of first hand experience in that. It was planned to follow the targets where ever they settled next, they were quite literally on their tail when they chose this historical city. It was planned to wait for them to get employment, that being a sign they planned to stay for more then just a couple of days. It was planned to have Luther and himself make first contact with the targets in the restaurant, Luther taking the male and himself taking the female. It was planned that the other soldiers would look like normal people just going out for a fun evening as friends and family together. It was planned to cause a scene and to lay hands on one or both of the targets to get them to react. It was planned for Diego to flirt with the female target in hopes of getting any information to slip past her lips. It was all part of an elaborate plan by an obsessed old man who couldn't let go of targets he considered to be his. 

In the window the light shut off and a shift of anticipation waved in the air at being a step closer to obtaining the high valued targets.


	4. Shadows.

_They killed her. They killed her. It was their fault aunt Grace was dead. The men who had invaded their home weren't there for her, they were there for the twins, and they selfishly let them kill her so they could get away. Vanya didn't care that aunt Grace begged them to leave, they should have ignored her and stayed, and maybe then she would still be alive. If maybe they fought, Vanya could stop shaking and hearing echos of guns being overused._

_It was a normal day, all of them had woken up that morning and cooked breakfast together, playfully arguing about the previous night's game of Monopoly. Vanya was no fool, she knew Klaus, who was their banker, was sneaking money for himself, but he denied it up and down._

_Vanya use to think that when something bad was about to happen, some type of unquestionable force tries to warn you, but when she thought back on it there was nothing that told them their lives were going to change, no unearthly signs, no weird feelings, no missed communications, nothing. One minute they were stuffing their faces with pancakes and fruit telling Klaus he could never be their banker again and the next minute they were struggling with men that carried scary looking weapons. They hadn't heard them pull their cars in, hadn't heard them close their doors, hadn't heard them walk up to the cabin or even come into the cabin, their blissful safe haven was rudely and disrespectfully attacked. Their aunt Grace thought they were safe, thought they had nothing to worry about in the middle of nowhere, she was wrong._

_Vanya's bones cracked under the pressure of Klaus's hold, their aunt Grace was able to get them outside of the cabin but in order to leave the property Vanya created sink holes under the large vehicles The Commission came in. She was alarmed with her own use of power, she had meant to only make holes large enough for tires to get stuck in, not for multiple vehicles to fall through. Klaus had taken care of the few men that hadn't been distracted by their aunt by pulling them into wind currents they didn't have any chance of getting out of. He didn't look as alarmed to use his ability as Vanya did, she was slightly envious of that._

_The crappy car that their aunt Grace used to go into the local town for supplies was being pushed to its limits in their panicked rush to leave. Vanya prayed that the old vehicle didn't give up on them when they needed it most._

_“Vanya!” Klaus shouted from his seat, his grip on her hand became to painful and she started to pull away from him, but he only tightened his hold._

_“Vanya!” He shouted again, his eyes were focused forward on the road, his face was calm, his mouth was unmoving._

_“Vanya, wake up!” She looked at him in confusion, she was awake. She tried tugging her hand away again but it did nothing so she hit his hand with her free one, he didn't seem to notice though, she started hitting him more violently anywhere she could reach. She wasn't sure why he wasn't letting go and why he was hurting her. Vanya watched as Klaus slowly turned his focus to her, his head turned and faced her direction, his eyes seemed to have no emotion, almost as if they were hollowed out, no sign of life anywhere in them._

_“Wake up!” Klaus abruptly let go of the wheel and grabbed her shoulders with both of his hands and pushed her against the passenger door, the car swerved into the other lane, another car was headed straight for them but Klaus seemed unconcerned with Vanya's struggles and screams, the car got nearer and she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the impact._

“Vanya!” Her eyes snapped open to Klaus's coarse scream. The room was black, the TV that had been left on for a light source was now off and the lamp outside, that usually projected some light through their thin sheet, was off to. Her eyes struggled to make sense of the shadows around her, she blinked away the tears that threatened to fall and tried to control her ragged breathing. It took her brain very little time to realize Klaus was screaming her name not three seconds ago and now the room was silent with shadows that she was sure were moving.

“Klaus?” Vanya whispered out, she was scared to move, scared to push the blanket back and jump toward the blackness that was swallowing the room whole. Something was wrong. She tried reaching out to Klaus through their link but it was mucky, there but hard to detect and hard to understand. She could feel him but it was faint and far away, and the feeling was calm like he was sleeping, the buzz that she normally felt of his ability not there at all.

“He's sleeping sweetheart, but it's okay we'll take real good care of him,” Vanya's body shook with a sob that she couldn't hold in, the shadow closest to her head answered her whisper. Without thinking she swung her arm out of the blankets and hit the shadow wherever she could, when she heard a yelp of pain, she tossed the blankets off herself and jumped out of the bed, wanting to ground her body to the floor before trying to shake the outside ground which would hopefully shake the room and disorientate the people that were in it so she could run.

It took longer than she was willing to admit to realize that the room wasn't moving, nothing was moving. She felt the man she just hit press himself against her back, Vanya could feel how much bigger he was than her, could feel his vibrations of silent laughter as he let her process that she couldn't access her abilities.

“Having performance issues sweetheart?” His breath tickled her ear, her body and her heart were frozen, she couldn't move. Vanya had never felt this powerless and vulnerable before, though her and Klaus didn't use their abilities much they were always there as a reassurance for them, and now without them she felt lonely and empty.

The man behind her sounded familiar but she couldn't place his voice, it pained her to admit it but it was nice, husky with disuse and rough. She recoiled when she felt his hand land on her shoulder to caress it, slowly trailing it down her left arm until it gripped her wrist. It was then that Vanya paid attention to the weight on her wrist, she couldn't see it but there was a bracelet there that the man was running his fingers over, teasing her skin on the edges of it.

Vanya and Klaus had heard rumors that The Commission created devices that allowed them to suppress an Aberrant Chromed person's powers, but they didn't believe those rumors. Nothing was confirmed so they let those warnings go in one ear and out the other without giving them much thought. They foolishly let themselves believe that they were safe, that they were ahead of the game, that they had the upper hand. Vanya wanted to scream, to cry, to throw things but her body wouldn't listen to her commands, she was just a statue, crippled by fear and worry for her brother.

“I think it's time you joined your brother in dreamland,” when those words registered, Vanya felt a new energy run through her but before she could move she felt a sharp pinch to her neck and the man behind her pulled her body toward his chest, wrapping his arms around her and holding her upright. She tried to move but found that she couldn't, her mind was fogging up, the last thing that pierced the darkness was the man turning her around, slipping one of his arms under her thighs and the other arm around her back and picking her up bridal style.

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The first thing Vanya felt, when the fog in her brain started clearing up and the world started coming alive again, was the pain that radiated down her arms which were pulled up, fastened to the ceiling. Her heart told her to move, to struggle, to shout, to open her eyes and look around for Klaus. Her head told her she was just kidnapped and brought to an unknown location, she didn't know where Klaus was or if he was okay, and she also didn't know how long she's been asleep for, so bringing attention to herself was the last thing she should do.

She kept her eyes closed and her body limp, it was difficult not to move and try to get the numb feeling out of her arms so instead of focusing on that she turned her attention to her link with Klaus. She tried to feel for him, tried to reach out to feel that familiar presence in her mind and the buzzing of his ability under hers, but the realization that she couldn't even feel her own ability hit her full force and without thought she started struggling and panicking, blinking her eyes open. Before the man sedated her in the apartment she had still felt Klaus, very faintly but he was still there, now there was nothing, not from him and not from her.

She had expected to encounter a mostly dark room with minimal dark furniture and creepy lighting that blinked in and out of focus. Every criminal TV show she's ever watched prepared her for a dirty and shadowed dungeon with stained furniture and thick air that was hard to breathe around. What she woke up to was a brightly lit metal cell that was empty, the only thing in the room was herself and the rope that connected her to the ceiling. It was sterile and cold, goose bumps made their way from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes. Looking down at her body she also noted that someone had changed her and that thought racked her body with a well earned cringe. She had fallen asleep in her comfortable unicorn pajamas that were soft and fuzzy, ones Klaus got her for Christmas the previous year when she went through a belated unicorn phase. Now she was dressed in a tight black tank top with no bra and tiny black shorts that barley covered her ass cheeks, she felt unexpected breezes of air that seemed to be focused on all the wrong body parts.

Peering up, Vanya could see the intricate connection of ropes that held her up, her arms needed relief from being here too long, her wrists were bleeding from the friction that she unknowingly must have caused well she was knocked out. Some of the blood was dry and sticking to the rope, some of it was still slowly trailing down her arms, around her left wrist was the metal bracelet that the guy who kidnapped her caressed when she tried using her powers. A bracelet she should have been prepared for based on rumors but wasn't, they must have put a similar bracelet on Klaus as she was waking up and that explained why she couldn't feel his powers or hers, or feel their connection.

It's always been a question for her if their unusual connection stemmed from their Chromes and now she has her answer. She's not sure how to feel about that, she had always hoped in the back of her mind that her and Klaus would still have that regardless of their abilities or not, it's upsetting to make that realization that they wouldn't have the connection without their Chromes. She wonders if that means they're not as close as they have always thought they were, if their Chromes are what pushed them to feel what they feel but she dismisses the thought just as soon as it makes its way into her mind, because it's Klaus she's thinking about that way. He's her twin brother and regardless she loves him and would do anything for him and they just had an extra advantage as siblings and as twins with the Chromes but that didn't define them and what they meant to each other. Vanya's not sure how long she hangs there before someone decides to grace her with their presence. She tried everything she could think of to escape the rope but no matter which way she twisted or pulled, the rope stayed firmly intact. The only thing she managed to accomplish was more bleeding and soreness in her already painful arms, the pain now extended down to her shoulders and sides, and down her legs.

In the middle of another attempt to twist herself out of the ropes, a swish of air was heard in the painfully silent room, she stopped all motion, the sound came from behind her. Turning her head, she could make out a metal door that slid open, the lines of the door were hidden when it closed behind the two people who entered the room, one pushing a cart that held various first aid equipment on it. Vanya didn't like that the door blended into the walls, she needed to get out of here and wasting time on trying to find the door among the walls when she did figure out a way to escape the tricky ropes was going to hinder her progress.

It was two women who entered the cell, the one pushing the cart was a short, skinny Asian girl, she had light blue scrubs on and a name tag that read “Helen”, she had a frown on her thin face, she said nothing as she started pulling gauzes out and soaking them with alcohol to dab at the blood that still ran down Vanya's arms. Her touch was cold and artificial, Vanya didn't want this strange girl touching her so she moved as far back as she could, but the girl followed her movements with ease.

“You caused quite the damage to your wrists in your attempts to remove yourself from the ropes,” the second woman spoke from her spot behind the girl, who was still following her avoiding tactics. 

Vanya violently flinched away from the stinging pain that the alcohol caused when it made direct contact with her open cuts. Trying to center her attention to the woman not armed with gauze, Vanya was startled to see she recognized who she was. It was the woman on the TV screen, the one that worked for The Commission, she still had on the hideous flared black dress and over abundance of purple Ursula makeup on, she looked like she walked right off the set of that interview that Vanya found herself watching some weeks ago. The smirk on her red painted lips was the same one she gave the reporter that interviewed her, it was a smirk that spoke of pure malicious intent. Vanya didn't answer her.

“Your brother hasn't fared much better, you're quieter than he is though, we've had to sedate him again since he woke up,” wannabe Ursula teased her. Vanya knew she was looking for a reaction, for her to rise to the bait but she refused to. “He kept yelling for you, then crying and begging for someone to answer him,” she moved around Vanya's body, assessing her and running her beady blue eyes over every inch of flesh that was exposed, it made Vanya want to gag when a glint sparked in her eyes.

“I can see why our Soldier couldn't keep his eyes to himself,” she taunted with that horrible smirk.

Vanya wanted to ask what she was talking about, what Solider, where Klaus was, why she was here, but she didn't do any of that, she felt like this woman enjoyed playing mind games that her captives had no hope of winning and she wanted no part in it, so the best way to avoid it was to stay quiet.

“The strong silent type huh?” She stepped closer to Vanya's body, there was now only an inch of space between them, the girl stepped back and packed up the things she used before addressing the woman that Vanya wanted to spit on out of spite.

“The cuts were superficial, no stitches needed, I applied antibiotic ointment to avoid infection, she's exhausted and most likely cramping from that position but like I said before, she's healthy,” she droned out the words like she was talking about a pet rock, like Vanya wasn't a living human being tethered to the ceiling like a piece of meat. Vanya's eyes flickered between Ursula and Helen, the former still not having moved away from Vanya's personal space. She could feel her body heat and it caused an uncomfortable sensation because another body was in to close proximity to hers. She doesn't allow people this close to her, ever, the only person who's been this close is Klaus and his body doesn't make her want to jerk away and wash herself from head to toe.

“Thank you Helen, you may leave,” Ursula dismissed the girl, who without second thought fled the room faster than Vanya was comfortable with. She had hoped that the girl would hesitate or question the order.

“You won't be staying in this room forever, it's just the room we first put subjects in for them to get the initial fight out of their systems before we transport them to a more permanent room,” Vanya half listened to the explanation, half her mind was on the little inch of space between them, she tried angling her body further away but like Helen, Ursula followed her movements without trouble. 

“You're going be here a very long time little mouse so I suggest you get all that fight out now in this room, because out there it's not going be pretty if it comes out to play,” Vanya let out a small breath of relief when the woman finally stepped out of her space once she was sure her threat shook Vanya's core. Vanya barley had time to blink before the woman was reaching into her pocket, producing a thick needle filled with clear liquid that she stabbed into Vanya's neck. The fast actions had her shaking, but her erratic movements slowed down until they stopped and the last thing that she processed was Ursula moving back into her personal space, placing a hand on her cheek and lightly running her fingers over Vanya's pale skin.

“Our Soldier really does have good eyes and good taste,” she whispered close to Vanya's ear before everything faded into darkness again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this chapter is all Hunnydreams42. I just finished season 2 and all I can say is. "WOW!"


	5. Day 1.

For the second time in God knows how many hours Vanya is waking up to a cold metal cell, her body hanging limply from the ceiling. She doesn't know how much time has passed since she and Klaus were taken from their apartment. It feels like it's only been a hand full of hours since she got the first needle injected into her neck but that couldn't be right, it's hard for her to track back the time. She doesn't know how long she slept for the first time, where they transported them to, how long it took to transport them, she also doesn't know how long she was asleep for the second time either.

It worries her, the inability to measure the time she's been locked away. She figures she should have asked this to her cosplaying Ursula kidnapper but she was so determined not to speak to her that she didn't bother asking relevant questions that could help Vanya feel like she has a chance of getting out of this sticky situation.

She tries her best to inspect the cuts on her wrists from the rope, hoping it'll give her something to go off of. Her head feels light and filled with air, it's hard to hold it back and the glare coming from the white lights lined above her sting her eyes. The rope isn't brown anymore, more of a dirty maroon color, from what she could see underneath it her wrists are dark purple and there's red splotches that trail down. The cuts are somewhat healed, well they're no longer bleeding which she counts as a plus, it's hard to look at so Vanya turns her head down. Her body is numb now, the pain that was there before she was drugged again is faint, certain parts of her body still sting but for the most part she's gone numb, that's more concerning in Vanya's mind than the pain that was there.

What's worse though is that she needs to pee, very badly, has needed to pee since waking up the first time but she ignored it in favor of trying to appear strong but now it's impossible to ignore. She's contemplating just going on the floor and being done with it, unlike her captors seem to think, she's a human being who gets bodily urges like any other normal human being so it would serve them right having to clean that up if she does go. But the fact that she would be stepping in her own urine and the fact that it wouldn't just stain the floor but her shorts and legs as well stops Vanya from making that choice. She'd rather not have to smell like urine and feel warm then cold shorts pressed to her skin as the wetness dries.

A bladder of steel is what she has because it's not for a while before someone finally comes through the Houdini door. Just like before the lines on the metal walls seem to melt away to reveal a hidden door that leads to God knows what. By Vanya's best estimate it's been a couple of hours since she woke up but she could be wrong, taking into consideration that she's been drugged, hasn't eaten, and her concentration is more on not peeing then it is on counting the minutes that go by. She hasn't moved much beyond an occasional shift to try and get feeling back in her body, not like before where she thrashed, pushed, jerked, and twisted in her attempts to escape the hold the ropes have on her, she's too exhausted to attempt that. The nurse lady, Helen, from before is the one that walks through the door, she's alone. She's not pulling a cart with her this time but rather a wheelchair. Vanya ponders how a seemingly normal person gets involved with craziness like The Commission, how do shady organizations like that get employees? What is in it for the person that works for them, how do they live with themselves knowing that people are getting hurt by their employers? Helen looks like any other woman off the street, she doesn't look like anyone that would know anything about secret metal rooms and scared girls tethered to ceilings.

“Your name's Helen...right?” Vanya takes a chance talking to her, she's less scared of saying the wrong things to Helen then she was to Ursula, Helen doesn't look like she enjoys mind games, so Vanya thinks it's safe for the most part, so she goes with a safe question she already knows the answer to.

Helen pauses in front of her and studies Vanya's form with a critical eye, a medical eye. Vanya almost squeaks with begging words not to leave when Helen turns around and marches right back out the cell, but she doesn't get a chance to because just as fast as she left, she returns, this time with a sturdy chair that she positions next to Vanya's body. Jumping on the chair she works the ropes with an air of ease that says this isn't the first time she's untied someone.

It takes far less time then she thinks it should to untie the ropes, they look very complicated and impossible to unravel to her eyes, but she doesn't have experience in tying people up so she guesses that to someone who does, it's no big deal. Her arms snap down with a weight that pulls the rest of her body down with them. They're tingling and stinging with the blood that's rushing to get where it needs to go. She's on the floor and as much as her body is pulsing with pain, she's no longer numb, the freezing floor is a relief to her sore body but it's short lived. Helen wastes no time in grasping her limp arm in her tiny hand and pulling her to sit in the wheelchair.

“Where are you taking me?” Helen doesn't answer her question, Vanya kind of hopes she's taking her to a bathroom because her steel bladder is going to burst soon and she doesn't want to deal with the aftermath of that if she can't get to a toilet soon.

She finds it odd that there's no one else with Helen, surely they don't think her that weak that she can't fight off a girl whose even shorter and skinnier than she is. She thinks this up until the door is reopened and she's wheeled out, and two buff guys line up on either side of her wheelchair. They're at least each a full foot and a half taller then Vanya and they each have tree trunks for arms, they have various weapons strapped to the belts that strain against the muscles of their hips. She tries not to have a full blown panic attack at the sight of them, she's thankful that, like Helen, they pretty much ignore her, just flank her sides and walk with shorter steps to match that of Helen's who is pushing the wheelchair.

Vanya lets her eyes roam over anything and everything, trying to memorize the layout of the room right outside her cell and also trying to determine which metal cell they have Klaus in. It's a lot like the layout of a hospital wing, there's a center that's filled with computers and desks, people in scrubs, both men and women, young and old, are behind the large desks, writing on clipboards, looking at the computers, talking to each other. The room is circular in its design and lined on the walls are the metal cells, from the outside the lines of the doors are highlighted white so Vanya can see where one cell ends and the next one begins. Everything is made of metal it seems like, it's a sterile room that has no feeling or color to it, the lightest things in the room being the blue scrubs some of the staff wears.

When passing the computers Vanya peered closer to them, trying to see what was on them and why there was a need for so many. All the computers from what Vanya could tell were playing videos of the same thing, it was on closer inspection though that she could tell it might have looked like the same video but was actually different ones. They were of the inside of the metal cells, some were empty, others weren't, people were roped to the ceiling, some asleep, some struggling, all of them just as helpless as the next one.

Tears welled up in her eyes, she imagines she looked much the same as those people. She hadn't even seen a video camera in the cell, she didn't know they were recording her, watching her. Her eyes fast tracked their movements over each computer, doing their best to take in what they could before she was wheeled out. On one of the last computers she sees the form she's looking for. 

“Klaus!” Without thinking of the possible consequences, Vanya jumps out of the wheelchair, she has to grab onto the armrest part of the wheelchair to steady herself though when her head spins along with her stomach. Helen is trying to say something to her, but Vanya's ears are deaf to what she's saying. The trees that double as guards are now standing right up against her, the hard planes of their bodies are an unpleasant sensation on her overly exposed skin but still she doesn't stop. She tries sidestepping them when she gets a better handle of herself but she's tightly boxed between them, they're gripping her already bruised wrists and are attempting to seat her back in the wheelchair.

From the spaces between their large arms her eyes track back to the screen of the computer that has Klaus on it. What it shows has the tears in Vanya's already watered eyes spilling over, Klaus is struggling against the rope, his body is rotating and turning in every which way he can, his mouth is open and moving, he's shouting something but she can't understand what. He's wearing something similar to her, but where she has a tank top, he has a muscle shirt, where she has shorts, he has sweat pants, both are black, both are not what they wore to bed before getting kidnapped. He looks insane, rabid like a wild animal desperate to get released from the trap they unintentionally got caught in.

“Please, he's my brother. I can't-I need...” Vanya tries explaining to them, she can't just leave him like that, she has to make sure he's okay, has to let him know that she's okay.

“Sit down,” Helen's voice is sharp, she's surprised to hear such a harsh thing come from such a delicate looking person.

“That's my brother! I need to see him!” She shouts back, she doesn't care right now about taking things with a calm exterior. Klaus is hurting, it's the only thing she's concerned with, she needs to stop his pain.

“We'll have to sedate you again and put you back in the ropes if you don't sit down,” Helen threatens her. She doesn't want to go back to the ropes, but she also doesn't want to stop her struggle to see Klaus, to get him out of the ropes.

“He'll be released when he's shown that he can be calm, sometimes it takes a little longer for some of the subjects. Once he's calm and IF he's on his best behavior, they'll think about letting you see each other,” Helen explains, she now has a firm hand alongside the guards hands and is lightly pushing her into the wheelchair. Not knowing what else to do, and knowing that they didn't have any reservations on drugging her again, Vanya sits back down. The guards immediately back away from her and resume their position to the sides of her wheelchair. With a final look to Klaus, she's wheeled out of the room.

Out the double doors is a series of long hallways and a few doors, there's no windows like Vanya was hoping for. With no outside view she feels even more trapped, she could be in the middle of nowhere for all she knows. Nobody talks as she's wheeled passed a set of doors that are closed. It's not long before Helen stops in front of three big elevators and the guard to her left presses the button for it to come, in the elevator she sees that the building has multiple floors, the guard presses for the 3rd floor, they were on the 2nd.  
The 3rd floor is much like the one before it, Vanya personally can't tell the difference. She's led through another set of double doors, they're in a hallway with doors lining both sides of the walls. There's room numbers and slots for charts next to the doors, a scanner on each door handle as well. They come to a stop in front of a room labeled number 7, Helen pulls her name tag card (that apparently doubled as a security key) from her pants and holds it over the scanner, not a second later the door slides open and reveals a small room.

It's a bedroom, one of the plainest bedrooms Vanya has ever seen but a bedroom nonetheless. There's a twin bed with one pillow and blue sheets with a thin blue blanket pushed up against the far wall, a nightstand next to it, a dresser is on another wall, and there's a door towards the back of the room. In the top corner of the ceiling facing the entire room is a red light from a tiny camera, it flashes every few seconds, at least this camera she can see unlike the other one. Like everywhere else that she's seen from this building, there are no windows.

“This is where you'll be staying. In the dresser you'll find clothing similar to what you have on, beyond that door is a bathroom with simple toiletries,” Helen sounds like she's said these lines many times before, Vanya's upset, it's wrong that she's just another “subject” in a long line of them to receive this speech.

“With good behavior comes perks such as books to read and time spent with other subjects, constant bad behavior will result in you being sedated and put back in the cell you just came from,” Helen drones on, Vanya's only half paying attention to her. It's a cell with a bed and a toilet, only a minor upgrade from her previous cell.

“A meal will be-”

“I'll be able to see Klaus?” Vanya interrupts, they don't seem to understand or they don't care, one or the other, the need to see her twin. She feels vacant without him near, like she's not all here and present in the space, and in a way she's not. Klaus has a part of her with him just as she has a part of him with her and together they're complete but separated they're defective.

“A meal will be brought to you shortly, in the meantime take a shower and rest,” Helen bypasses her question. One of the guards helps her out of the wheelchair and onto the bed before backing away from her and taking up position next to the other guard who stands by the door, blocking it like she's going to attempt to run. 

“Please,” It's a simple word but an effective one, Helen sighs with irritation but she talks.

“That's going to depend on your brother, if he stops struggling then you guys have a higher chance of being allowed to see each other,” at least Helen is honest with her, Vanya hopes Klaus just stops fighting for now, the sooner they can see each other the sooner they can plan an escape. She tries pressing her luck with another question.

“How long has it been since you kidnapped us?” Vanya bluntly asks, she sees no reason to try to skirt around what they did by softly asking how much time has passed.

“That information is not allowed to be disclosed to subjects,” Helen isn't the one who answers her, one of the guards is, the one with dark brown hair and a crooked nose. The other one has blonde hair and freckles everywhere, they look vaguely familiar now that Vanya is getting a better look at them but she's coming up blank with trying to place where she has seen them before. 

Just as she's opening her mouth to argue that she has a right to know, the guard who answered her gives a pointed look to Helen and together, all three rush from the room, the click of the lock is heard when the door is closed.

It's quiet now, not like it was in the apartment, she thought that was the worse thing but in the apartment she didn't realize the hum that the refrigerator provided or the noise that came through from the street next to the complex, or the background sounds the neighbors that had an over abundance of kids that always seemed to be playing outside provided. Vanya knows true silence now, she misses the noises that she took for granted, the apartment compared to this might as well have been a circus show complete with dancing elephants and trained tigers.

Her stomach lets out a loud roar and Vanya as pitifully as it sounds is grateful for the noise, it helps take her mind off of the silence. She's shaky when she stands from the bed to inspect the room more closely. She starts with opening the drawer on the nightstand, it's empty so she moves on to the dresser. Inside the first drawer is a bottle of scented lotion, a stick of deodorant, and a hair brush, along with a packet of three hair ties. The second drawer holds tank tops like the one she has on, the third holds the booty shorts, the forth has black panties (she takes a peak into her own shorts and shudders when she sees a similar pair on her body), the fifth has black socks, and the last drawer has black slippers and a pair of black tennis shoes, there are no bras which is unfortunate, she would feel more secure with herself if she had that extra layer of clothing. Walking into the bathroom the first thing she looks for is a camera, she's beyond relieved when her search comes up empty, there's still a possibility that there is one in here she can't see but she'll take what she can get.

Like the bedroom, the bathroom is almost painfully plain, there's a toilet, a sink with no mirror but with a drawer that holds a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, bandages, and antibiotic ointment. There's a shower/bath combo that has shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a bar soap, and a sponge. On the opposite wall to the toilet is a cabinet, inside it is rolls of toilet paper, towels small, medium, and large, extra blankets and pillows as well, there's a hamper in the corner with a blue bag in it hospital style. Vanya hopes she's the first one to use these products, that they're not passed down from a different person who stayed in the room before her, especially the toothbrush and the panties. 

Vanya wants to be rebellious and not take a shower as she was told, she doesn't want to use their products, doesn't want to be grateful to have them, but guiltily she is grateful, they could be withholding these products from her, treating her more like an animal and let her sit in her own filth. With those thoughts she starts taking off the clothing she has on to take a much needed hot shower to wash the dried blood, sweat, and tears away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This's the last of the chapters that were written by Hunnydreams42, next chapter, we're checking in on Klaus to see how he's been doing. Where he meets a certain soldier...


	6. Soldiers

His arms were burning and his breaths came out as ragged, sweat was beading on his head and his stitches had been snapped, blood was trailing down his arms, slowly. Destroying every part of him that it could find. Rusted blades were raking at his throat, he just wanted Vanya, was that too much to ask? He just wanted his sister, he was tired of yelling. _As if it made any difference_ he thought to himself viciously, his eyes were sore and they itched from all the tears he had shed. His head snapped up after what seemed like hours and the man with the monocle came through the door that seemed to be fused into the wall. His eyes hardened and hatred wept from his usually cheerful eyes.

"All out of fight are you, boy?" he asked.

He hated him, he had come to see him on more than one occasion, he held himself with a pompous air that seemed to leak with arrogance, his eyes glittered with thinly veiled insanity. That seemed to only light up more when his eyes found his, he hated how this man looked at him, as if he was some trophy husband just waiting to be showed off. But he knew him from somewhere, the information was picking at the edges of his brain, there but still just out of reach. Was it his ridiculous hat? Or the way his trench coat snagged at his knees and rippled? Or maybe it was that ridiculous monocle that only the terribly insane would even consider being cool? Whatever it was, it unnerved him and only made his hatred grow.

"My sister." he said, barely containing his fury "Where's Vanya?"

"You'll see your sister when you've learned to behave like an adult and not a barely capable child." the man said, his tone was cold and utterly indifferent.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did my panic from being kidnapped and separated from my twin annoy you? My bad, I'll be even worse next time." he snarled back.

His eyes hardened and he sneered at him with annoyingly white teeth, when Klaus figured out how to get rid of these knots, the first thing he was doing was sucker punching this fool in the face.

"It seems you're not out of fire yet, Number Four, let's see how you fair after another day." he snapped back.

"I'll be just fine." he snapped back. "Your little cell can't break me."

"Then I suppose, you'll never see your sister again, will you?" he asked.

Klaus screamed at him in rage but the man simple smirked at him and walked out. He swung on the ropes until they cut through the last of his stitches and cut into his skin, sawing off his bone. _Did he call me Number Four? What the fuck's that suppose to mean?_. He closed his eyes, tears were flowing out of his eyes, he just wanted his sister, he wanted to get out of here. But to do that he needed to stop fighting, he hated the thought of giving in to them but he had to, what other choice did he have? He needed to get to Vanya and if that meant giving in then that's what he'll do, even if it physically pains him at the thought.

He doesn't know how long the monocle had left him there for but he knew it couldn't have been more than a day, it couldn't have been more than a few hours in the least, something tells him that the monocle would rather he had both of the siblings under his cold eyes. So when he started behaving, he came back a few mere hours later. Klaus wasn't an idiot, he knew when he was being manipulated and he had fallen into the trap like a mouse. But he didn't care, if it meant he could see Vanny faster then he'll gladly be manipulated.

"Are you ready, Number Four?" he asked, in his stiff and proper tone.

Klaus breathed in deeply before he nodded, the man walked back outside, grabbing a wheelchair and wheeling it in, he glared at the cold floor, hating being reminded, rather forcefully, of his weakness, he wondered if that's the point of the chair? To remind him forcefully of his reliance on them, well. He doesn't know about the rest but this man, he definitely knows that he hates it if his twisted smirk was anything to go by. He easily undid the ropes and Klaus dropped onto the ground. He hissed as his blood burned to get everywhere it needed to again, the man helped him stand and pushed him into the chair. He curled his fingers around the handles, his knuckles cracked from under the pressure of his rage, his gaze was tinted red as he pushed him out and into where ever the hell they'd been keeping him. He noted with disgust that his cell wasn't the only one and his face screwed up in a terrifying hybrid of disgust and terror as he catches sight of everything on the monitors. They were all people, hung up like trophies, they were struggling, some of them were screaming and others just hung there, he would've thought they were dead if it wasn't for the barely rising of their chests that he could see.

"What is wrong with you people?" he bites out, horrified.

"Don't look so scandalous Number Four. We need to keep an eye on you all, to make sure you don't do permanent damage to yourselves." the man explained as two bulldozers came to his side.

He blinked as he recognized the blonde one from the bar the other night...the night they were taken. Rage hummed through his system as he glances over at him, the bastard had the decency to look slightly abashed.

"You...you followed us." he breathed out, even the very air he breathed snapped with anger and hatred. "You and...oh my God." he gasped, as his mind flickered back to the one he had set his sister up with.

"I was doing my job." he replied. His tone seemed purposefully cold and distant as if he didn't want to be reminded of what he'd done.

"Yes. Him and Number Two are my finest soldiers, the first two that I ever obtained for The Commission." the man said.

Klaus clenched his hands together, his palms were tingling as his nails dug crescent holes into his already bloodied skin. As soon as he and Vanya figure out how to get out of here. Luther and the monocle were the first ones to die.

-

He stared at his painfully bare wall and shuddered at the silence that engulfed him like he was at a funeral, except a funeral would be a hell of a lot more cheerful. He picked at the metal bracelet on his wrist, it wasn't electrified. He hummed as he pulls it up to look at the way it was fused together. There were some simple clasps that kept it in place but surely they wouldn't make it this simple? He glared at the concealed magnets and muttered a rather creative curse as he punches the black pillow. He freezes when he hears the door click, he watches as a younger soldier comes inside the room holding a tray of food. It was a painfully simple meal, bread, soup and a glass of water. But he supposed it was better than nothing. This soldier had blonde hair and mischievous blue eyes with a dusting of freckles along his nose. He was handsome, Klaus could admit that but at the moment? He'd rather chew broken glass.

"A doctor is coming by later to help you out with that." the man said, a pleasant smile on his face. He was nodding at his poorly bandaged wrists.

"I don't want your help." he snapped back.

"Might be so, doesn't mean that you won't get it." he replied, pushing the tray towards him.

His stomach howled, pleading for food, he picked up the bread and offered it to him first, he rose his eyebrow at him.

"That's kind of you but I've already eaten."

"Take a bite." he ordered, not taking any chances.

The man's face dawned with realization as he took off a piece of the bread and popped it into his mouth and chewed it as slowly as he dared. Once he swallowed it, Klaus watched with intense eyes, not daring to miss a single twitch or wince he might have. After five minutes of squinting at him, he was satisfied that The Commission hadn't put in another sedative or poison, he brought the tray closer to him and began to tear at the bread and slowly dip it into the creamy liquid.

"Where's my sister?" he asked as he tears off a piece of bread.

"That information is classified." he replied.

"Well, if you're going to be an unhelpful piece of shit then you can leave. I don't need a damn babysitter." he hissed back as he spoons up the soup slowly, hoping to ease the agitation in his burning wrists.

"I'm here under orders to make sure you eat." the man replied.

Klaus glared at him in steely hatred. So, if he had a soldier breathing down his neck then he could bet all his life savings that Vanya had one too, this made things a little more complicated, that's for sure. But he'll figure it out, he has to.

"Then when will I see her?" he asked, glaring at him heatedly.

"If you both behave then the soonest you'll see her is tomorrow at lunch after your training."

"Training?" Klaus asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at him.

"All subject are required to do training from 6:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night with lunch and dinner breaks in between." he said.

"That's 16 hours of pure labor, you aren't concerned about the affect that could have on us? No, why would you? We're just subjects, aren't we? We don't matter." Klaus hissed, darkness clouding his eyes.

"I assure you, you'll be fine, does it look like it's hurt me in anyway?" the man said.

"No but then again you're an asshole, I don't know how you lot work." he replied, smiling at him sardonically.

-

Vanya's ripped from her thoughts as her door buzzes, she sighed, about time they came with her food. She sat up and her breathing stops at the man who stands before her. He was the same as he had been when she saw him in the bar except he was wearing the male version of the uniform she had on. Her stomach turned, that's how they had known.

"What's the matter? Surprised to see me, sweetheart?" he asked, smirking teasingly.

"You...oh my God." she muttered, shaking her head, she held in her tears. No matter how desperately they wanted to come out.

She took in a deep breath as she remembered how he had been the one in the apartment that night with her and Klaus, how could she have been so stupid? As if someone that handsome would be interested in her for just her alone. No one ever is. Diego sits on her bed and pushes the tray towards her.

"You first." she said, pushing it back towards them.

"You think after all the trouble we went through to get you here that we'd poison you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You. First."

Diego shrugged and took a piece of the bread and chews it. She nods before she pulls the tray towards her and eats in complete silence, she was uncomfortably aware that he hadn't stopped looking at her rather exposed chest, seeing as there's no bras here. She turned her eyes up and glared at him angrily.

"Keep your eyes to yourself."

"When you look that good in that top, how can I?" he asked back, smirking at her.

"Stop it." she said, spooning up her soup to cover her trembling lips.

"Stop what? I'm only telling you the truth." he said.

Vanya bites her lips so harshly that her teeth sink through the soft skin, she's so tired of this game, he has her now, isn't it enough for him to know that? Why does he have to play with her too? She froze when he grabbed her chin and tilted her head up so that he could see her, she froze up even more as he brushed his thumb along her lip.

"You're bleeding, doll." he said, smiling lightly.

"Am I?" she asked, pretending to play dumb "Geez, I wonder why? I think I'm allergic to dickheads."

He smirked back at her and allowed his eyes to trail down her form unabashed. Before he leaned in extremely close, she glanced to the side as he whispers in her ear with his beard tickling her earlobe.

"I like you."

Her breaths returned to her as he moved away with a mind numbing smirk on his face. He got to his feet and walked to the door but he stopped mulling over his next words to her.

"Get some sleep, _amor_. You're gonna need it for tomorrow."

-

"Report Number Two." Hargreeves said, glancing up from his work, Diego stood by Dave in front of their personal mentor. To be honest, Dave's never liked him but it's not as if he got a choice in that

"The female's smart, she made me eat her food before she touched it herself and she's not so easily won over by affection as we previously thought." he explained.

"I see. And you, Number Three?" Hargreeves demanded, turning his eyes on Dave.

"The male demanded to see his sister, he made me eat some of his food as well, he won't be fooled by a pretty face, not as long as he doesn't know where his sister is." he responded immediately.

"Interesting, it seems we're going to have to be more forceful than usual." he hummed back.

"What's your plan for them sir?" Diego asked, he was always the more daring of them.

"They are being trained in the assassin district, the Handler believe they will be far more useful on the field, along with you and the others we have apprehended. You, Number One and Number Three will begin training them at once tomorrow as we classify their skills." Hargreeves said.

"Yes sir." the soldiers answered.

"Good, dismissed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This's my first chapter, how did it go? Not too badly I hope? He calls them numbers because he doesn't see them as people but test subjects. He's calling them from when he picked them up. So he got Luther first. So, he's Number 1. Diego was second, he's Number 2. He got Dave third. Number Three. And the twins. Number Four and Five. What do we think Dave's ability is?


	7. The test.

Reginald glared at the blonde haired upstart in annoyance, they've been rivals since as far back as he can remember, but it really began getting far more serious and high strung after they both fought for leadership of The Comission, it had been a brutal fight and the only reason she'd won was from sheer luck and back handed politics. He was almost sure she'd bribed her way into office since she's the least competent head that they've had since that Frankestein idiotic barbarian.

"You wanted to see me Handler?" he forced out of pale lips, his teeth grounded together and rung out against her lavishly designed room, highly impractical and only there to be seen, he doubted that she even used the thing unless she wanted to show off.

"The twins. Your newest pets, what have you gotten from them so far?" she demanded.

"That they're overprotective of each other, one's a male and the other's female, they're not as easily won as the others. They could pose a problem today during their tests. We've found no weakspots on them as of yet." he informed, however bitter the words tasted in his sand paper mouth.

"Wrong. They've given you their weakspots but as usual you fail to see past your own ignorance." she said, gazing at him unmoved.

"Oh? Do tell what you're so insightful to see." he snapped back, irritation leaking off him in waves.

"You idiot. Use them against each other, if they see their sibling being harmed, they'll react and we can classify their skills as we need to." she said in a voice that seemed to belittle him without much effort.

Reginald wanted to slap himself it'd been so obvious. A slow, rather evil smile raced to come across his usual cold face, oh yes, he could use this. He could use this quite well.

-

Vanya glared at Diego as he came inside her room the next morning, she hated him, she hated his stupid face, his stupid hair, his stupid scars and above all his stupid smirk that seemed to undress her. And what she hated most of all was how she was still hopelessly attracted to him. She pulled on her tennis shoes without so much as a word to him, while the soldier chatted her ear off about something to do with his powers but she didn't want to hear him talk about his abilities when she didn't have hers. It was as if they had beaten her half to death and left her gasping hopelessly for air that never seemed to be enough.

The facility that he had walked her to was as cold as the rest of it. The walls were plain and seemed to twinkle at her cruelly, there were others around their desks, some of them looked bored, others seemed determined and some were a mix of both. But to her growing anger and resentment, none of them reacted when they saw her being marched through their ward. No flicker of concern, no spark of rage. In fact they seemed to look her over in disinterest. As if she wasn't worth their time. That made her tremble but she forced herself to keep her emotions in check, she needed to behave like a good dog if she wanted to see her brother again. It's been so long and the void that he filled was beginning to grow stronger and stronger as the seconds ticked by. It was becoming unbearable.

"Here we are sweetheart." Diego said, ripping her from her thoughts, she glanced at him in fury as he pulled out his name tag and placed it on the glowing pad, the door clicked and hummed as it began to fall back, revealing a white room inside, everything was bare. Suspicion rose in her as she slowly made her way inside with Diego pushing her in from behind. What were they planning? "The boss wants to test your abilities. Save yourself some pain, _amor_. Just do as they want you to." he said, his voice dropping its jovial tone and something akin to concern was hidden under the obvious threat in his voice.

She glanced at him up and down, she didn't trust him in the least, there was no way in Hell she was playing into their sick games, they won't see anything. She won't allow it. Diego trailed his calloused fingers down her arm to the cuff they'd forced on her. He took out some sort of device that looked like a golden pen with a glowing green stone on top. The bracelet fell away and he placed it in his back pocket. So that's what they used, she'll have to steal one then. She rolled her shoulders back as her powers sparked back to life, curling through her bloodstream, she never realized how much she'd miss them. Fire traced her veins as a tourist would a map, lending a bit of its strength to every cell and bone it could touch. The hum of Klaus's presence was there too, her eyes furrowed as she sensed his fear. What's happening? What's wrong with him?

"Look at our little mouse, Hargreeves, all better now with her abilities back." the Ursula cosplayer noted.

Vanya turned her annoyed eyes on the woman as she stood on a balcony that over looked the white room they'd forced her inside. Another man stood beside her, he was tall from what she could see, he wore a monocle and a top hat with a trench coat that whipped around at his knees, she knew him from somewhere. The information was nagging at her brain, demanding to be released. But it never came. For the first time, she noticed a wall of glass just under the balcony, as if it had once been a huge fish tank. She walked towards it and gasped when she saw her brother behind it, he was looking around, fear taut in his features. She banged on the glass hoping to get his attention.

"Klaus!" she called.

But then her breathing stopped as a couple of men and women suddenly stepped forwards, knives gleaming in their meaty fists and muscles curling through their pale and veiny skin. He was thrown to the floor as one of them punches him so hard, a tooth was knocked from his mouth and a spray of blood splattered against his side of the glass. Vany growled and the room began to shake, she dived down and picked up a ball of hard compressed earth that settled for a floor and threw it at the glass. It shattered easily and she rushed over the broken shards. They turned to her with sadism lighting up in their eyes, Klaus was on the ground heaving, spitting up the last of the blood. He had been beaten beyond recognition, his eyes were black, his face was swollen and his lips were split in two.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

-

Klaus looked up, groaning and almost choked on what little breath he had left in him. His little sister was standing there, trembling in absolute fury, it was feeding into his own quite well. Through his blurry eyes, he could see her moving the earth around her as if it was an extension of herself, controlling her element with pure instinct. But her stance was effy and unpracticed. She was going to lose. Klaus stood up brushing his bleeding lip and clearing the last of the blood away. He won't let that happen. Fire sparked to life engulfing his hands, he too, feeding into instinct, the cracks in his knuckles and skin burning with white hot energy that was goaded on by his rage.

He threw the ball of white hot fire, the ground erupted in flames, cutting the group in half. He snarled at the group, hatred burning in his eyes, his rage only made the fire grow, roaring and spitting as it licked the bottom of the balcony above them. He hoped his flames burned the floor they were standing on. He hoped they suffered for what they'd done. One of the soldiers smiled before he brought his hand down from the air, in his hands were daggers made of shadows. Great, umbrakinesis. Grace had warned them about these Aberrant Chromes. She had never liked them, liking the power to making a deal with the devil. Klaus stared at the biggest one stonily, he could figure this out. He dived to the side as three wickedly shaped blades of darkness impale themselves into the ground where he'd been seconds before, allowing the fire to die down giving them free reign to his sister. He can't let them hurt her. Vanya had wrapped a ball of earth around her, protecting her from the monster scratching at the mounds, desperate to get her claws on her. Klaus took in a deep breath before he let loose a torrent of wind that swept through the room, the monster and her other enemies were thrown into the wall dazing them for a moment.

Klaus gasped and found himself on his knees as the one with toxokinesis lashes his poison whip, slicing it through his exposed neck.

-

Vanya didn't think as she watched her brother pale and foam form at his mouth, she didn't even realize the ground had begun shaking so badly that parts of the ceiling had begun falling apart. She growled like an animal before she threw her ankle into the earth beneath her, instinct taking over easily, a spiral of white concrete jumped from the room, groaning and squeaking as it rose, tiny pebbles jumped off the side as it did. The one who had hurt her brother looked at it in shock.

Vanya stomped her foot into the earth and threw her hands out with her palms facing down, her fingers spread. She watched him with the eyes of a hawk as he and two of his friends ran forwards, poison wrapping around his arms like a second set, tension only she could feel began building, resounding against her being. She slowly raised her hands and kept them in the air, shaking, as the tension became almost unbearable but not yet. When they were a few bare steps away, she striked. She brought her hands to her chest, elbows meeting as the tension began to release. She lifted her leg that'd held her and bent her knees. The ground split down the middle, a dense mist curling up from the destroyed floor. A crater of bristled rock spreading. Her brothers' attackers screamed as they're thrown about fifteen feet in the air before landing with a crash. She walked into the mist. They won't get away so easily.

The first one looked around, her eyes wide with panic, it was almost enough to make her feel sorry for her but then she remembered what she and her friends had done to her brother and the anger and hatred swirled up again. He wasn't dead, just dazed and sickly. She could deal with that. The woman turned to her with a gun raised. She turned around as the bullet snapped through the mist and raised her hand, guiding the earth with precision as if she had been doing this all her life. Shards of rock snapped from the ground up from the dirt, spikes of deadly sharp stone colliding with her and sending her through the air with such force. She went through the cloud of debris and smacked into the wall beside the slowly healing ones that Klaus blasted into the next decade.

The next one was an Aberrant Chromed one. Diego had mentioned him a few times, he smirked at her and held out his hand. The world around her shifted, she looked around entirely confused as trees of Jungle wood swam into her vision, ivy wrangled up the heavy set skin, green leaves rustled in the wind. She looked around with her nerves on edge, she could hear the jaguars, cheetahs and lions growling in the foliage of the dark trees, the water gurgling as it flowed through to a creek, the rustle of leaves. She could taste the fresh air on her tongue, smell the earthy scent that mixed in with the scent of a storm. How was this possible?

-

Klaus uses air to gently blow him to his feet, he turned towards where his sister stands, completely entranced, he glowered before he spreads his legs in a horse riding stance and threw his hands in the air. That earned a few cries of surprise as they're thrown off their feet.

"You lovelies didn't forget about me did you? That's a bit rude, wouldn't you say?" he asked, his brow twitching.

The one with toxokinesis snarled and moved his hands so a snake of poison wrapped around his arms, the one with the illusion skill stood, ready to raise his hand and the one with umbrakinesis had the shadows screaming as the formed around him in a storm. He gasped as he jumped in the air swinging his arm up behind him and bring it over his head, a whip of air following as he formed a shield around him as the toxic whip tries to attack him again. He lands on his feet softly. He whipped his hands through the air, making the shield disappear around him before he moves his arms again, his power, a storm, flowing through his veins with the force of a thousand hurricans. Klaus throws himself into a lunge, his left arm out with his hand down and palm facing outwards. His other hand lay flat beside his hip. The cold air passes through him and a blast of some of the strongest wind he's ever thrown following. The illusionist is thrown backwards as it sears through his chest. Klaus was certain he'd broken a few ribs from taking such a force head on. Vanya blinks rapidly as her illusion falls apart now that its master isn't feeding it.

"Hey Vanny, wanna give me a hand?" he asked, smirking at his sister lightly.

"Oh, do I." she replied, smiling devilishly.

Vanya stomped the ground a total of six times, each time raising three boulders each, she punched the air, seeming to hit nothing but the boulders moved at the speed of light, heading for the targets she had aimed for. Klaus jumped and twisted himself in the air, a tornedo springing to life around his legs and allowing him to fly above their attackers but under the disturbed duo who were watching everything with identical hungry gleams in their eyes, _take care of these first. Then get rid of them._ Klaus spread out his hands formed twin tornedos out of nothing. They spun up to meet his waiting hands, he pulled his hands back and pushed them outwards. The tornedos spun towards their attackers. They screamed as they found themselves ensnared in his winds. Vanya jumped through the air with her arms moving in a wave, a wall of jagged rock formed in front of him and blocked the deadly bolts of shadows that'd been coming for him.

Klaus breathed in deeply before he threw his hands up, his focus divided as it controlled both of his elements, a wall of crackling flame rose up ten feet high in front of his sister and divided the room in half, them on one side, their attackers on the other. The one with monster mimicry let out a wail of rage as it stumbled back with its black hair smoking. Vanya pushed her hands down and allowed the wall to fall behind her before she turned around digging her foot into the ground and raising a square of rock, she pulled it up with a great deal of effort before she threw it towards the one with poison. He let out an exclaimation of surprise as the square of stone pushes him back into the wall. Klaus dropped from his tornedo, he crossed his arms over his chest and shot twin bursts of white hot flame towards his sister's oncomers. Vanya placed one foot in front of the other before she dove her hands into the wall where the toxokinetic lay dazed. She grabbed the earth and encased him inside before turning back to her brother's aid. One last dangerous one to put down.

Klaus bought his hands along the ground and watched fascinated as the flames roared to answer him, he wrapped the fire around himself before he threw it towards the last two normal soldiers, they screamed as the fire grazed their arms, blood seeping from the melting skin and blisters forming. Weariness was beginning to set in, tiredness and fatigue quickly growing in rapid succession. Vanya's tiredness and lack of energy was getting worse too. Sweat was beading from the twins' foreheads and their muscles were turning to lead. But the beast wasn't tired, in fact it seemed fresh.

-

Vanya came to her brothers' side as the monster finally managed to get the last of the embers out of her fur. And let her tell you, she looked positively enraged.

"Got a plan?" he asked, worry marring his features.

"Kinda just going with the flow, you?" she asked, getting into an unsure stance as the monster turned her eyes on the twins.

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan...actually. That sounds like a great plan. Get ready." he whispered, harshly.

She had no idea what he was about to do but watched anxiously as he began breathing in deeply, he was going to set out a whole host of flames, she wasn't sure...her eyes widened with realization, she quickly forced all the pebbles, that the chaos of her powers had left behind, to come to her, a flurry of stones covered her easily, going around her like a sash. The monster was charging, now having turned into a grotesque thing with six arms and a serious odor problem. Smelling of wet animal fur and sweat. Klaus began moving his arms once more, a sphere of flame wrapped around him, it cleared as he moved his arms, the left one going up and the right going down, both with a slow steadiness and precision in their nature. His palms facing downwards. He curled his right palm and brought the storm of fire it controlled to meet the left side, Vanya swepted her arms to the side, letting instinct take over once more. Her pebbles wrapped into the flames only being held in the air by her sheer will power.

His hands were above his head now, the fire circled around them, the heat was pleasant against her back as it dropped behind them skimping the shattered concrete. Together the twins slowly lowered their hands, their elements shrieking as they bend to their masters' will, they pull their hands back slightly before they push out the energy, palms facing their rushing enemy. A torrent of pure blue flame and sharpened debris whistled through the air roaring as it engulfed their enemies, the beast roared, getting thrown backwards with burning sharpnel in it and its fur doused in flames.

Vanya gasped as a needle is forced into her neck.

"NO!" she screamed.

Diego placed the cuff on her wrist as quickly as he could, to stop the room from being torn down anymore. She wrestled with the feeling, noticing through bleary eyes that Klaus was screaming but her ears were deaf to them as her eyes slid shut. The last thing she remembered was Diego catching her as she falls and whispering in her ear.

"Who knew you had so much fight in you _amor_?"

-

Reginald watched as Number Two and Number Three pick up Number Four and Five before leaving without so much as a word. He was on cloud nine, he knew those two would be worth all the trouble they had to go to for them. The Handler hadn't spoken much, lost in thoughts of what they could do with the twins. The possibilities were endless. But he had a feeling that she'd want them for _that_ particular project, the same one all his subjects get sent to.

"Rate them at a level 3." she said, turning to the little pet she keeps around, what was the brat's name? Lila? She had the ability to mimic other people's abilities. Handy, a shame it was linked to someone so annoying. "Have them placed in Section C under the _Mars and Gaia_ project."

"And their instructers?" Lila asked, writing down her orders in the notepad she always has on her.

"Hargreeves, Diego Garcìa, Luther Weber and Dave Katz. I want them fighting by the year's end, we've been preparing for this since the end of last year after we got the news we've been waiting for, I won't let two subjects ruin that. Understood?" she asked, turning to him.

"Perfectly." he replied. Smiling wickedly.


	8. The boy, the horror and the rumor.

Vanya gasped awake, sitting up in her blue bedsheets, sweat had soaked through the mattress and had dampened them. She sat up, blearly registering that it was 4 in the morning. Exactly why she was up at this God forsaken hour she'll never know. She froze as the door whistles open as Diego comes inside the room. She glared at him heatedly as if the sight of him personally offended her. (which if she wanted to be honest he did.). He grinned at her in response as if he didn't shove a needle in her neck, like barely a few hours ago. She didn't know why she even bothered her energy getting pissed at him at this point. Yet, she couldn't help it.

"Good you're up. You're expected in the hall at 6:00 for breakfast." he explained, leaning on the frame of her door. "I'll be back at 5:30, I would hope that you'll be dressed at that point but I don't mind helping if you're into that."

"You...there are no words for what you are." she bites back.

"Amazing, terribly handsome, badass soldier and teacher?" he offered, smirking at the poisonous look she sent him for that.

Why was he acting like they were friends? Why was he acting as though he had done nothing wrong? Did he really not understand what happened? She sighed, nodding her head amicably. She just wanted him out of her room, she was already drained enough, she didn't want to listen to his bullshit.

"Good. When you're done training today, I'll come and lead you back to your room. If you're on your best behavior. I'll even let you sit with some of the other assets I've been given." he said.

"Yes, sir." she muttered.

"All out of fire? How come? Sick of me already?" he asked, grinning at her.

"I need to shower and you're distracting me." she muttered back, keeping her voice devoid of emotion.

"Whatever you say. Remember 5:30." he warned, getting to his feet and leaving.

-

Klaus already hated it and they hadn't even started, the cafeteria Dave took him too was shaped like any school one except instead of happy chatter from kids, silence hung heavily in the air. No one was happy, it was like the happiness was being sucked out of the air. He found it hard to believe anyone could be happy here but Dave says it gets better. He doubts it. The walls are a cold grey, the metal shines, almost too brightly. Trying to make up for the lack of energy in here he didn't doubt. He glared at the cold steel table where a red plastic tray sat in front of him, Dave said that this's where his trainees sat. He hated this, he hated it more than he could ever say. Sleep was already pulling at him, begging for his eyes to close. He glanced up in confusion when a little boy slides into the chair opposite him. He looked about 13, no more and no less. He had soft brown hair, hard brown eyes and his hands were calloused. His face was a little chubby but it was beginning to thin out, he was tall too from what he could see. His eyes flickered about, untrusting and his fingers twitched as if he wanted to grab something and jam it into the nearest soldier.

"I think you should calm down Emeric. Don't you?" Dave questioned, raising a challenging eyebrow at the boy.

"He's not doing anything." Klaus muttered back "Leave him alone."

"Don't call me that. And I don't need _your_ help. I can pick up for myself thank you." the boy said, glaring at him heatedly.

"I didn't mean to pick up for you. Merely lend support." he replied, shrugging at him calmly. The boy glanced at him up and down as if he didn't know what to make of him. Which he supposed was fair, not many people knew what to do with him when they first meet him.

"This little monster isn't as harmless as he seems, isn't that right? Considering you put Lila in the hospital for two days just last week." Dave said, his eyes seemed to tear through them. Forcing an anvil to land crushingly on their minds, weighing them down from where they watched them from the head.

Klaus shivered as fear began to force its way into his mind, building up to a hell raising crescendo, the feeling was wiggling around under his skin, picking through his cells and setting them alight with panic and hysteria. The boy opposite him looked like he'd seen a ghost, his face was pale and sweat was appearing on his forehead. He began scratching his arms incessantly, trying to claw the feeling out of him, blood was already peeking from the gouge marks that sunk in too deep.

"Sorry, sir." the boy said, his utensils were shaking in his hands. "I'll calm down."

Dave's eyes drifted from them and the feeling was gone. As though it was a blanket and he had ripped it off. The boy snarled at his breakfast, it was a plate of toast with scrambled eggs and a glass of orange, the same as Klaus. He turned his shocked eyes on Dave who seemed to be fascinated by his nails all of a sudden.

"What did you do to me?" he asked, beyond shocked. He could still feel his tendrils of power, clammering around in there.

"My job." he replied. "You should eat as much as you can. You two are on the obstical course from six to ten."

"Are you kidding?" Klaus asked.

"I wouldn't advise annoying me today Klaus. I already have to deal with this brat." he replied, his tone clipped and cold, apathy sinking in.

His mind kicked into gear as he swallows his pride and does as Dave demands. He didn't want to annoy a pathokinetic. He turned instead to the boy who was stewing in silence, he wondered if that's how he hides his fear, behind his mask of anger and resentment, he's still a kid. Albeit a smart one who definitely takes no shit. But a kid.

"What do you want to be called then if not your name?" Klaus decided to ask, forgetting about the rule about interacting with other 'subjects' well, it's not like _Dave_ was stopping him anyway.

The boy snapped up his eyes to take him in, uncertainity swirling around his hard brown eyes that seemed to hide all sorts of dark secrets behind them, he bites the inside of his cheek. Seemingly at war with himself before his face settles on determination.

"Five."

-

Her stomach turned itself inside out as she stood in an arena. There's a small woman across from her, her black hair was chopped at her jaw, keeping it out off her face Vanya assumed. She was wearing body armor, she was thin, scrawny almost but her brown eyes took everything in with calculating eyes that told Vanya this girl could take her down without even blinking if she wanted. And she looked like she _really_ wanted to.

"Don't look so worried. This's Lila Pitts, she's gonna help us out today." Diego muttered in her ear.

If possible 'Lila's' glare turned even sharper, rage in her eyes as she took in them both, the arena was dark with only a few dozen lamps to brighten up the despairing place. The mat in the center was a deep red with a singular black circle in the middle of it. Lila's feet were bare, giving her more control over her steps and movements. She was wearing the familiar uniform with her arms crossed over her chest survying them with a wicked gleam as if she couldn't wait to show all the humilating ways she was going to destroy them. Vanya was in a group of maybe five people. A dark skinned woman who looked like she walked straight off the front off a fashion magazine. She had to wonder how The Commission had found her. She looked like she was smart enough not to get caught. Or maybe she hadn't even known? At least not until they came? There was an Asian boy too. He was holding his stomach, as if it hurt him. The other two she wasn't even sure about them, they looked like they'd rather be anywhere else at this point.

"Hey!" Diego called to them as he left her side and the new girl slides up beside her. "Eyes on me. Today you're learning how to improve your powers. Lila here, is the best there is for that, she was trained by the Handler herself-"

"That's so comforting. The crazy bitch trained the little psycho." the woman beside her muttered in bitterness. Vanya's mouth lifted up into a small, barely noticable smirk but the woman caught it. She glanced at her out of the side of her eyes and gave her a warm smile "I'm Allison Wilson."

"Vanya Sinclair." she said, giving her a small smile.

"You there, in the front." Lila called suddenly. Vanya turned to her wiping her face completely free of any expression. "Did you have a question about today's excercise?" she knew she hadn't been listening.

"No." she replied, her voice void of emotion.

"Then maybe you'd like to be my first opponent?" she asked her. Vanya took her in, silently weighing out her options.

"I don't mind. But I'm afraid you won't get much of a fight out of me. I'm not a very good opponent." she replied.

"Isn't that why you're here? To improve your skills? You first." she said.

Vanya sighed but stepped into the ring, getting ready to get her ass whooped.

-

Klaus and Five stare at the obstical course in front of them, Klaus in slight horror and Five with a tired sort of reverance that a prisoner of Hell would after an eternity of torment. The breeze blew by him, bruising his skin with its frozen hands, trailing down his spine like spiders. He's never been the fittest person at the best of times. He knew even before he started that he wasn't going to make it past the first mile never mind anywhere else. They were in a clearing that was completely encased in a forest that he didn't recognize, the ground was sleek with mud, he could smell the aftermath of rainfall on the breeze. He missed the feeling of his power rippling through his bloodstream the world seemed duller without them.

"Subjects 000178548A and 000367916L. Your task is simple. All you need to do is get through the obstacle course and get to the other end of the field without failing, tripping or tipping off any of the ostacles in your path as Subjects 000638905B and 196450987N shoot at you." Dave said, not bothering to even use their names...wait shooting?

"Hang on! Shooting? Are you serious? He's a kid and I...I'm sexy trash you can't expect us to do that without stumbling!" he said, frankly a little disgusted and shocked.

Why did he think Dave would be different? Why had he assumed that he was kinder than the others? No. He was just like them, only even worse because he pretended he was nicer. But hadn't he shown him his true colors? Literally only this morning? Hadn't he nearly made them tear off their own skin to get away from the fear he forced on them?

"I'll be fine." Five said, looking a bit disgruntled at his concern.

"Yeah, maybe you but not me! I won't be able to do that! I've never run, in my entire useless life. I'll be utterly destroyed and end up taking you down with me! I can be very dramatic when I want to be." he said, his eyebrows furrowed in horror. Five gave him a once over that reminded him of a disgruntled grandfather being left to babysit his grand kids for the day.

"I noticed." he said, his tone rather dry.

"And bullets! Even you can't live through that oh wise old one." Klaus said, pointing at the guns that sat unsuspecting in their holesters.

"They're not real bullets 000367916L. BB's. Non lethal but they'll certainly hurt and it's a training excercise for them as it is for you, if we were sent out into war against the Soviet Union, soldiers aren't going to sit there and let your bullets hit them, they'll be moving and running trying to get away. It's to increase your stamina for one and your marksmanship for another." he said, looking bored. As though he's had this talk about a thousand times before.

"Look." Five says, bringing him down to his eye level by placing a small hand on his shoulder. "We'll be fine, just make sure you follow my movements exactly, okay? At least then I can try and get us both out of here relatively unscathed. I've done this course every morning for the past two weeks, I know the lay out just stick with me." he said.

"I can't believe I'm going to listen to a toddler." he said, sighing before he nodded. Resigned to his fate.

"Shut up. I'm not that short!" he snarled back, whacking his arm in what he seemed to think was a hard slap. He screwed up his face and glared at him as he rubbed the 'tender' spot but the kid seemed happy.

"Alright. Subjects 000178548A and 000367916L ready yourselves. You'll run for the first two hours and then shoot for the last two. 3, 2, 1. RUN!"

-

Vanya yelped, dodging Lila as she comes running towards her with a murderous flame in her brown eyes, trying to make her use her abilities she gathered. Her shoulder collided harshly with the cold metal floor as she rolled sideways to get away from her. Vanya jumped to her feet and turned around just as Lila turned back around. She realized with horror that there's no earth around here for her to manipulate and no water either. Damn- Vanya gasped out as Lila grabs her around the waist and slams her into the floor. She groaned out loud as stars snap to life as her head cracks off the metal.

"Damn. You're good." Vanya offered, chuckling weakly.

"Wish I could say the same. Mum said you were a level 3, I definitely don't see it." she said, sneering slightly.

"Easy Lila, it's her first day. She'll get the hang of it." Diego snapped back, she sighed getting to her feet shakily. She didn't need his assurances or pitying looks from the others and she didn't want it either.

"I'd like to say, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here. I don't have anything to help me. Otherwise you'd see just how dangerous I can be." Vanya said, her voice cold with venom cracking through.

"Oh, you need something for your abilities to work? Okay. What do you need a little pebble?" Lila asked. Vanya gave her a rather ugly smile as she said, grinning.

"No. I need a waterskin. Then we'll see if you're as good as you seem to think you are." she offered crossing her arms at her. Lila nodded biting the insides of her cheek.

"Okay. You'll have your waterskin. Take five while we get it." she ordered, walking off to the side with Diego.

Vanya sat at the back of the class away from the others as she tries to take a glance into Klaus's emotions too but it seems like he's still blocked, his side's silent. She sighed running a hand through her hair, when will she see him again? Probably never...not if they're not fighting by the time the year's over.

"Hey." Vanya turned, blinking out of her daze and smiled at the 14 year old boy who had decided to sit beside her along with Allison the girl from earlier. "I'm Ben. I thought you were pretty good."

"I made a fool of myself, don't worry. I'm use to it. I'm Vanya." she said, grinning at him gently.

"I heard what you and your brother did yesterday and I wanted to say that you were so cool! Even though I couldn't see you. They said that your brother controlled fire _and_ air! That's...it's unheard of actually. Most elementals can only control one element never two." Ben said, gazing at her excitedly.

"My brother and I both control two elements. He controls fire and air while I control earth and water." she said.

She had to admit, it felt nice that someone wanted to know about her abilities because they were interested in _her_. Vanya decided to hold onto that because she had a feeling that no one else but these two would ever find her fascinating.

-

Klaus and Five dived onto their bellies as they proned along under the barbed wire. His hands kept slipping and the thorns of the silver string of death were horrifyingly close enough to impale him. If that wasn't enough to force him to keep moving then the sounds of muted BB guns definitely were! Klaus pulled himslef over the hay stack and gagged at the feeling of the mud slowly sinking into his black muscle shirt, staining his skin beneath. His hands with his newly done stiches were covered in brown muck, reaching his elbow as if he had committed a violent murder against pottery and hadn't cleaned up. Five grabbed his hand and dragged him up just as the other two people came to them pointing their guns at them in a threatening way. One of them was a ten year old girl.

"Go! Go! Go!" Five yelped.

His legs burned as they headed straight for the metal frame work that stood out against the blue sky, the sun was hardly up yet but humidity hung heavily in the air. His chest was aching, his limbs were burning as he poured every ounce of adrenaline that he had into his flaming muscles. He wondered if the pain would dull after a while or if the Anaroebic respiration would kick in since he hadn't had enough for this intense work out. He jumped on the frame scrambled up the metal bars that seemed to bend under his weight. Five was beside him as they scrambled up the bars and came upon wrinkled tubes that dropped down into a small trowel of ice water.

"We have to dive down there?" he asked. "Won't it hurt? Since the cold would shock the muscles?"

"Yep. But they don't care. Let's go!" he said. Grabbing the rim of the red tube and throwing himself down it feet first.

Klaus blanched for a second before coping his new little friend. It was blissfully dark for a moment before he plunged into the water. Ice seemed to burrow itself into his very veins and arch around it but he had to keep moving, the guns were far too close. He dived under a border, he could just make out small feet propelling themselves forwards. He followed and broke the surface gasping in all the air he could. He rushed after Five who was heading for the 4 foot high hero walls.

"Klaus! Give me a leg up!" Five demanded. It seemed like a reasonable plan seeing as he was the smallest off them and the lightest.

"No!" he shouted back, shaking his head. "If you go up first then how am I suppose to get over? I need to be up there."

"And how do you propose that!? I'm not as strong as you in case you hadn't noticed nut brain!" Five snapped.

Klaus walked backwards before he ran forwards at a blinding speed. He kicked off the wall and grabbed the rim of it with his fingertips and he pulled himself up even though it burned. He sat on it and shouted down to Five seeing their pursers on their tail.

"Run and kick off the wall! I'll catch you."

"Gah! This better work!"

Five did as he asked, Klaus caught his arm and hauled him over, neither noticing how Dave was taking notes.

-

Diego watched from the shadows as Vanya walked back into the ring with Lila. The women circled each other. Vanya was poised and confident on the outside but he could see the slight hesitation and the fear as she scrunched up her eyebrows ever so slightly. Not things you'd notice if you looked at her only once or twice. But since Diego had spend that last two days with her. He picked up on all her little telltales. He liked knowing everything about his charges, most of the time they give him all the information he wants. But Vanya was different, she hides away from them, forcing them to have to pick up on other things.

Vanya dodged a punch from Lila before she seemed to suck out the water in the skin they had given her, she arched it over her head and wrapped the whip around her ankle. It froze and Vanya jerked her hand backwards, pulling Lila back and allowing her face to collide with the floor, Vanya smirked at her, thinking she had won but then Lila begins controlling the water too. Her face betrayed shock for a single moment before it goes still again. Vanya dodged the whip quickly with a spike of ice at the end. Her brown eyes were taking in everything analyzing the situation. Before she caught the whip in between her forearms and took it off with ease before grabbing the water she had been controlling and sweeping it around so she had her completely encased in ice around her belly, like a safety belt. Lila fell forwards onto her knees before she smashes the restraints apart but now-

"You're all out of water." Vanya said, grinning.

Diego smiled, Lila still won of course, but he had to admit that at least this twin was a clever taction. She's already good with both her elements on an instinctive level at the beginning, he couldn't wait to see the _pequeña amor_ at the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. So Dave's a pathokinetic which is a fancier word for an empath. He can mess with your emotions big time. Did you know I had three full pages on just his abilities, like alone? He's definitely level 3. He usually gets all the fiery ones since the Handler and Hargreeves make him intimidate them into submission like he did today. How do they make him? Well, I guess you'll have to find out won't you? We meet Five, Allison and Ben this chapter. I gave him a real name because no kid would be named ''five''. Next chapter we're having a small time skip to like six months while they're at the compound. And Vanya and Klaus's first mission with Dave and Diego. Wonder how that's gonna work out, huh?


	9. The Final test.

Vanya quietly groaned as she laid on her covers. Her bones ached and her muscles seemed to be made of broken glass. It'd been a long six months. She glared at her arms that were littered with scars and bruises. Reminders of Lila. Reminders of her helplessness. She couldn't take much more of this but Klaus and Five had said to wait. Granted it was taking a lot longer than she wanted it. But Five said he'd get them out and her brother assured her that if he said he'd get them out then he'll get them out.

"You okay?" Diego asked. She stared at him in disbelief. He never asks her how she's doing. That made her suspicion rise. Why was he asking now?

"Why?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Ouch. You still don't trust me? I have to say, after our moment yesterday-"

"There wasn't one!" she denied viciously. Her face burning and her heart thumping. _Stupid girl!_ Her mind shouted, echoing around her skull harshly. _How could you let your guard fall? How could you think, even for a moment, that he'd forget all about that horrible mistake?_

"Right. No, of course not, your lips just somehow magically landed on mine." he said, though his usual smirk was gone, his face was blank but his eyes showed the battle thrumming inside him.

"I'm sorry about that, okay? But we both know it didn't mean anything." she said. Liar, dirty little liar. You know it did.

"Right." he said, his lips clamping together. "You should get some sleep Subject 1724649R. You and your brother are in for the fight of your lives. It'd be a shame if you were to lose because you were too tired.”

She gave him a nod and he disappeared, allowing her to breath easily for the first time in several hours. She sat up and placed her head in her hands pushing her irritatingly long hair back. She was losing her mind, she must be, it’s the only explanation for what happened, the moment when. . . . . Her breath caught in her throat as she remembered how, in her moment of absolute insanity she had kissed him.

Her lips tingle slightly at just the thought of his lips on hers, yep insane.

-

Klaus kept his eyes forward with his lips clamped tightly shut, he wasn’t about to show how much pain he was in after Luther pounded him into the ground. He wasn’t about to show gratefulness as Dave kept him on his feet as he led him to his cell. Or “bedroom” as he calls it, but really, he knows it’s just a nicer cell then the one he’d woken up in all those months ago.

Once he was inside he staggered his way to the bathroom, he could keep some of his dignity at least. He eyed his reflection tiredly, his blue eyes had deep shadows under them, like another set of bruises, his skin was paler and his face gaunt, more sunken in. Eating too little and exercising like crazy was having an effect on him. His arms were more toned and defined now with the start of bulging triceps sticking out of his skin. He snarled at the cut that trailed from his brow to the middle of his hollowed cheek, he dampened a towel and patted the blood away. He flicked his eyes up and saw Dave watching him in the grimy mirror that he should really clean.

“Go away.” he demanded, wiping away the fresh blood that wept from his wound.

“Let me help you.” he asked, his voice was unbearably soft, and something akin to concern echoed off his words. But he was lying, they always lie, they pretend they care, pretend they mean something to them. But they’re always subjects in the end. “Besides you’re doing it wrong.”

“No, I’m not. I helped Vanya when she cut herself all the time, you know when we weren’t held in cages like animals. I don’t want your help.” he hissed out of clenched teeth.

“Klaus.” he began, his voice taking on that edge it always did when he was using. . .

"NO!” he hissed, clawing at his cuff, desperate to defend himself, but just like all the other times it stayed clamped around his bony wrist, with its magnets humming as if it was laughing. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

“You should calm down.” he said, hardly listening to his pleas.

His blue eyes watched him and a calm so heavy he could’ve been Atlas crashed down on him, his anger disappeared and his guarded posture dropped letting the calm seep through his veins. It was poison.

“Give me the towel.” he said, grabbing it. His cheeks burned and his anger hummed desperately under the forced calm as Dave pulled up his face so he could see the cut better. “Why do you insist on being so difficult?”

“Ah, it might have something to do with the fact that you kidnapped me and my little sister.” he replied, his voice was strained as his emotions fought a silent and bloody war inside his mind. The calm was winning, it always does.

“Kidnapped is a strong word.” he replied, wiping away the last of his poisoned blood. “We prefer the term “obtained” ”.

“Fancier way of saying kidnapped.” he said, he had wanted to sneer and growl but the calm made his tone sound teasing, as if he didn’t actually care about how they had brutally ripped him and his sister away from everything they knew.

"I suppose.” Dave admitted, chuckling lightly as he began to peel away the casing on a plaster. “Are you ready for your test, tomorrow?”

“I have to be, don’t I? Not like I get a choice.” Klaus muttered back. His poisoned mind still refused to let up on its grip on his emotions.

“No.” he admitted. “But tell me honestly, do you think your team will be able to do this?”

“Why does it matter? You don’t care, you just want to look good in front of Hargreeves and the Handler.” he said, Dave smiled sadly.

“This might shock you Klaus but I don’t actually like my boss or my mentor, I didn’t get a choice when it came to them either.” he said.

"Stop.” he ordered.

“Stop what?” he asked, placing the plaster on the cut, closing it off to the air.

“Stop this!” he insisted, gesturing in between them like crazy. “Stop pretending to be nice to me. I know you don’t give a damn about me or Five. I’m tired. So, fucking tired, of these mind games. You have me now, you made me into one of your super soldiers, there’s no need for them anymore.”

Dave sighed before he let his face go, it seemed colder without him there, not that he’d ever say because what do you take him for?

“You still don’t trust me.”

Klaus didn’t say anything, he sighed before he left, the bathroom dropped by at least five degrees and he gasped out in relief as the weight on his mind was taken from him.

-

Diego strewed to himself silently as he and Dave waited for Hargreeves and the Handler, Dave looked like he swallowed a foot, he doubted he looked much better considering he was reeling from Vanya’s words.

He wasn’t even sure why he was so rattled by them, it’d been true, hadn’t it? She had been in a vulnerable place, having just gotten out of isolation and she had wanted to feel something. It wasn’t uncommon among the subjects, sometimes they went further than a kiss, though none of his team had ever allowed it to get that far, Luther, Dave and he made sure. Why was this one so different?

"Don’t think too hard.” Dave mumbled, a slight teasing edge to his voice. “You’ll end up hurting yourself.”

“Ha ha. You’re hilarious.” he muttered back. “Why do you look like you’ve just been told someone died?”

"Had a run in with one of the twins, you?”

He nodded back at him, letting him know silently that the same had happened to him. Whatever use he had thought he’d be considering Vanya was immediately thrown out the window when he saw him reeling from the same confusion, he was tempted to ask why he was so upset but thought better off it. He would ask, just not here.

“Report Number Two and Number Three.” Hargreeves said.

Dave and he immediately snapped to attention, their shoulders automatically going back and their postures straighter, remembering how he hated it when they slouched, they remembered the punishments he’d give them too if they failed him.

“Subjects 000178548A and 000367916L are ready for tomorrow, their skills have improved massively over the course of six months.” he said, his arms poised behind his back.

“Yes, yes, but what can they do, explicitly?” Hargreeves demanded, raising an eyebrow at his brother-in-arms.

“Patience Hargreeves, isn’t that why we set up their test? To see what they can do?” the Handler asked in her annoying and patronizing voice. Diego always hated her but that hatred increased to utter loathing when he heard how she had raised Lila.

“Very well.” Hargreeves said, his impatience slipped off his words like water. “And you, Number Two? How are your three?”

"Subjects 1724649R, 1724650H and 1724651B are ready, their skills are honed and they’ll be unstoppable once you choose their leader for the simulation tomorrow.” he said. Hargreeves nodded pleased but Diego had never felt worse in his life, which didn’t make sense seeing as he’s done this over a thousand times in his 5 year spree but it had never felt more wrong then it did now. He had a feeling that a certain brown eyed, black haired elemental had something to do with it.

-

“ _Buenos días, mi amor._ Ready for your big test today?”

Vanya groaned and looked up at Diego who was smirking at her mischievously, she sat up and rubbed her bleary eyes incessantly, trying to get them to clear faster. Fog had settled on her mind, wrapping around her mind like a shawl. She realized after a moment what he had said.

“Test? Shit!” she said, getting up and scrambling to her dresser where a fresh pair of clothes were waiting for her, she tried not to think about who they could possibly be letting in to refill her closet every night, to be frank, she didn’t want to know.

“You won’t be needing those today, got you a present.” he said, holding up a new outfit.

She took it in her hands and looked it over, a simple black tee with no writing on it, a pair of black yoga pants that cling to her skin, a pair of simple running shoes, a black coat with an orange line whistling up the side. The jacket had letters printed on the back of it “Unit 12”.

“That’s the name of your team. Dave, Luther and I are Unit 5 and you, your brother, Emeric, Allison and Ben are Unit 12.”

She had to think for a moment who ‘Emeric’ was. She nodded, her stomach was wiggling painfully, nerves pulling at the lining of her stomach with her acid boiling. Five’s plan rests entirely on them all getting through this test, not that she knew why since he hadn’t told her, he hadn’t even told Klaus.

“What if they’re listening in?”

“Better get dressed, your test starts at six. You’ll need all the strength you can. It isn’t going to be easy.”

“Really?” she drawled out sarcastically. He didn’t grace her with a smirk today, his face was uncharacteristically serious.

“I’m serious Vanya. The simulation. . . .it messes with your mind, tortures you with your worst fears. Just. . .trust me on this one, okay?”

She was still reeling from the fact that he had called her by her first name.

“Get dressed. You’ve got an hour to eat.” he said.

She nodded back and quickly got herself dressed, she walked into the bathroom and nervously traced her reflection with shaking fingers, she took in a deep breath and brushed her hair out before she braided it, her hair had grown to her ribs over the last few months and she hadn’t bothered to cut it even though Helen had given her a scissors to use if she wanted to.

The cafeteria was a ghost town, all the others had gotten the day off to do whatever they wanted, Allison was wearing an identical uniform to hers and nervously tapping the metal table.

“You should eat.” Ben muttered, he was wearing the same thing except instead of yoga pants he was wearing sweatpants.

Vanya smiled at the young boy and gently rustled his hair, he scowled at her weakly before he turned back to his cold stew, he looked ill at the thought of having to eat it. Vanya turned to her brother and forced her lips to turn up into a small smile as he mouthed over ‘Are you okay?’. She nodded back, she didn’t want him to worry, she took in her brother’s thin body and pursed her lips together in worry. He hasn’t been taking care of himself and she hasn’t been there to remind him to. It made her hate The Commission and Diego even more.

-

The hallways stretched on for miles, cold and metal, their footsteps were echoing painfully off the walls as they followed Diego, Dave and Luther in complete silence. Each of them too lost in their own thoughts and drowning in their fear to do much of anything.

Klaus had to wonder what about the simulation made Dave tremble in fear, well, whatever it was. If Dave couldn’t handle it. Him of all people, then how th fuck did Hargreeves and the Handler expect them to?

The door in front of them was made of metal and plain except for the glass pane in the very center that showed them the insides of the room. It was plain, white walls, white floor, dull fluorescent lights blinking above them. What caught his attention were the grey chairs that stood in the middle, all lined up together. Something that looked like a hairdryer that Salons would use were wired up above them. Diego, Dave and Luther froze when they saw them as if they were about to start shooting lasers at them. The Handler opened the door, wearing a hideous leopard print dress that flowed around her body shapeless with a huge piece of fabric fat that covered her neck. She had her weird ass cigar in her hands and was looking at them all with a greedy gleam.

“Look at all you little mice, all set to become tigers.” she said.

What the fuck is that even suppose to mean? What a nutcase.

"Come along, we’re losing valuable time.” Hargreeves’ cold voice said from inside.

She moved out of the way and they all filled in, going into their line that Diego and Dave had drilled into their minds. It started with Klaus and ended with Five. Oldest to youngest.  
They’re only 13 and 14. Kids.

“Good, now pay attention, Subjects. Because I’ll only say this once, when you're in the simulation, everything is real, any injuries you get, you’ll get here. Anything falls on you, you’re crushed, if you end up in the ocean you could drown. If you’re shot down by bullets, you’re dead. Am I understood?”

“We could die?” Klaus demanded, his eyes burning in anger.

“Of course, the best way to test your strengths is if there’s actually danger if it wasn’t real you wouldn’t try as hard.” he said, uncaring.

What sort of fucked up logic is that?

“We have kids in our team!” Allison said, horrified. “You’ll just let them die if we can’t get to them quick enough?”

“You and your teammates are responsible for each other. None of you will be even remotely harmed if you know how to work together, the last time we had a team that didn’t know each other, one of their members died.”

Klaus glanced behind him and saw the three men’s eyes downcast and heavy. No wonder. . . .

“We’ll be just fine, are we doing this or not?” Five demanded.

“Eager aren’t we? I like that about you.” the Handler said, smirking at him. Vanya put an arm in front of him. Five glared at her in confusion.

“Are you always this child predatory?” she asked, her voice soft. “Or are you just feeling particularly touchy feely today?”

“Oh, you’ve got some fire in you after all.” she said, smirking at his sister, making his own protectiveness snarl under his already boiling blood.

“Are you going to talk all day, or can we do this?” Klaus asked.

"As you wish. On the chairs Subjects.” she ordered.

The chairs were predictably hard with barely any thought put into them, they weren't meant for comfort, that much was obvious.  
Klaus swallowed his saliva nervously as he's put in the first chair with his sister beside him. He curled his fingers around hers and gave her a weary smile. She returned it with one of her own before they looked forwards as the dryer thing was placed over their heads.

-

Five opened his eyes. He looked around him in confusion, he was in the middle of a field. The smell of wet earth and the distant scent of a storm welcomed him with unnervingly welcoming arms. He looked up at the steel grey sky to see drifting snowflakes slowly falling down from above him, landing on his raincoat and melting at once.

His friends were around him too, Klaus took everything in with fluttering eyes that flew in every direction at once. Their shoes were already splattered with mud and…..blood? He blinked again and looked around him. Bodies littered the destroyed battlefield. Their blood flowed over the mud and into cracks in the ground. Mangled arms and torn feet decorated the battlefield nicely.

"What the fuck happened?" Five asked, shocked. He was no stranger to violence, growing up on the streets but he'd never seen so much of it in one place before.

"Whatever it was, it wiped out these unlucky bastards." Klaus said.

"Geez Klaus, thanks for pointing that out, it's not as if it was obvious or anything." Five said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No problem." he replied, just as sarcastic.

They froze when they heard something in the distance, yelling, gunfire and explosions echoed around the ruined battlefield. They're coming. On the other side of the field a group of 5 kids lined the fields that overlooked the war torn zone. They had Communism colors on.

"What're the chances they're friendly?" Ben asked, weakly.

"Low. Incredibly low." Five answered.

The one in the middle's hands began to glow blue and sparks of electricity began to form along her fingertips and crackled off the painfully silent ground.  
Vanya gasped and dragged her hands up, hastily covering them in a sphere of rock. And not a moment too soon. The unmistakable rattle and hiss of lightning ricocheted off the sphere. Vanya grunted, straining to keep herself and the sphere standing. Klaus had spread his legs out with his palms raised. Sweat was beating on his forehead as the merry crackling of flames appeared around them, wrapping around their sphere and starving off the lightning.

"What's the plan?" Vanya gasped out, her energy fleeing from her as he watched her. "I can't hold this for long with that bitch."

"Five. Can you teleport with someone yet?" Klaus asked.

He nodded, staring at the crumbling ceiling in slight fear, not that he'd ever admit it, but he'd grown to like his teammates. Allison with her fiery attitude, Ben and his gentle nature, Vanya and her protectiveness. Klaus and his kindness. They were his only friends and the first people in a long time that he could call his family. He can't let them die.  
"Okay. I need you to teleport with Allison to the top of the hill where Zeus junior is. Then, Allie, you need to… Blow her mind. Literally. Get rid of her first and the others will be easier to deal with." he said.

"How do you suppose we get her friends away from her?" Five demanded.

"Distraction. I.E me. I'll get their attention and then you get rid of that one. Ben. I'm gonna need the horror."

"You got it." he said, nodding. Determination ripe in his step.

"And me?"

"I need you to hang back. Ready to attack the second we're in trouble. There's a lot of plants around, get some water." he said. She nodded.

Klaus and Ben rushed outside once the lighting stopped. Vanya moved her hands up and slammed the earth back into place.  
Five grabbed Allison and jumped through space and time. It was like being sucked into a tight tube. They dropped behind the blonde haired person. She turned around but Allison held out her hands and said with a dashing smile that made the Russian pause.

"Hey! _I heard a rumor_ ….that I blew your mind."

The sound waves wrangled off her voice going over the air easily and turning her eyes white. At once, her face crumbles like liquid. Blood pumped from her wounds and then, as if the world realized it was in slow motion and pressed play. The girl falls to her knees, her head gone and a fountain of blood jumping from her broken skin.

-

Vanya held out her hands and turned them around quickly. The water she had torn from the grass around her shaking as it twirled around her and into her leather pouch that she always had on her hip now, in case of emergency, she's always been better at controlling water than with earth. She could see them all. Klaus and Ben were ahead of her, burning their pursers to death with a well placed wall of flame or tearing them apart with the horror. Five and Allison were charging down the hill, through the blood and mud to get to their friends.

Vanya's eyes narrowed as she sees a new group of people running after them. Vanya curled her fingers and dropped down through the earth and popping up beside Five and Allison, she gave them a crazy grin and asked.

"Need some help?"

Allison laughed as she nodded, Vanya ran along the field, her hands angled down, water came to her easily, creating a tidal wave, she turned around, swinging her hands, the wave wrapped around her like a sash. As she turned to face the soldiers she jumped in the air to give her wave more weight and slashed her hand down. The wave swept them away and down the field, away from them.

"Quick kills Five." Allison ordered, dodging under a strike from her own opponent, she swept their feet from under them and pushed them down, Five nodded and vanished. She froze with her knife by their neck.

Vanya made water arms and came to her side. Her face falls as she sees why Allison hesitated, though she never does. A girl, no older than ten was staring at them with wide eyes. Eyes that had so much fear in them. Vanya glanced at Allison who let the girl go.

" _I heard a rumor_....that you walked away. Heading home to your parents who you know are worried sick about you."

The girl got up and ran, heading in the opposite direction of the fighting.

-

_What did they think I was going to do?_

Allison ran down the hill with Vanya following her, Five had taken out most of them by now but it was three against one, Vanya swung her arms to side before she launched them out. Her tentacle arms exploding sending out separate streams of water with the end of them shaped into scythes. They hadn't even realized they were dead until they tobbled over, limbs missing. Ben and Klaus had taken care of their ones and had walked back to their side.

"Is that it?" Ben asked, hope entering his voice.

They freeze as something screeched through the air, sending up winds of fury in its wake. Allison's jaw dropped as she sees a dragon circle back around like a boomerang. Its scales were as black as night, with white teeth, sharp as knives, gleaming in the weak winter sun. Its wings spread out around it at at least 36 feet with green eyes that blazed with fury.

"Dragon mimicry!? Are you fucking with me!?" Klaus demanded, his own jaw dropped so low it had thundered through the ground. The dragon reared backwards as something began to gurgle in the back of its throat. "SCATTER!"

Allison grabbed Ben while Klaus grabbed Five and they jumped out of the way, landing face first in the mud and blood of the battlefield and not a moment too soon. The ball of blue and purple flame had left a smoking crater in its wake.

-

 _JESUS CHRIST!_ The Horror roared in his mind, making his stomach wiggle and scab over from its agitation. _What was Hargreeves thinking? Does the stupid man want to kill us?_

 ** _He doesn't care if we die._** He sighed back as Allison covers his head as the dragon screeches again.

"Someone please tell me they have a plan." Vanya said. She was raising her hands and a wall of pure earth followed her as she bends it to cover them, if only just barely.

_Tell me about it, sister._

"I do. But you're not gonna like it." Klaus admitted, pulling Five to his feet.

"I didn't need your help!" he was saying, glaring at him.

"I know you didn't but it's just how I am. I like protecting people." he said, easing his temper slightly.

"Klaus! The plan!?" Allison demanded, helping him up to his feet with an apologetic smile, but he wasn't like Five, he was glad that she cared enough about him to want to protect him.

_Yeah, she's really nice, I hope we live long enough to thank her._

_**Thank you so much for that.** _

_No problem._

"Five, you need to teleport yourself onto it, try to get through the chinks in its armor with your knife. I need you to bring Allison with you."

"You want me to get on that thing!? WHY!?" he demanded.

"You're the best killer!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And if you can't kill it then we need to get it on the ground, so Vanya and Ben along with the Horror can restrain it. Then Allison can rumor it into turning back to its human self so then we can kill it."

"And what'll you be doing, oh wise leader?" asked Five.

"Controlling the winds, knocking it off course, my fire isn't gonna do much against it." he explained.

_Restrain? Why can't we tear it apart?_

**_Because, have you seen that thing?_ **

_I see your point._

"Okay. Okay." Vanya said. "We can do this. We have to, we're gonna be fine."

_We hope._

**_You're such a pessimist, have you ever noticed?_ **

-

His friends nodded, Five grabbed Allison and they appeared on the dragon's back, immediately it began bucking, screeching as it tried to throw them off. Five's hand was coming up and his knife was gleaming but nothing happened. He was holding out his hands and breathing out gales of wind. Keeping the dragon off balance. Allison said something to it and it began descending, calm.

As soon as it was close to the ground, Vanya made thin ribbons of water slither up off the ground and wrap around the dragon. Ben and the Horror were using brute force to pull it down, the dragon landed with a deafening crash, throwing Allison and Five off course but the Horror reached up and snatched them from the air and placed them safely on the ground.

Klaus walked up to the beast and saw fear shining in its glowing green eyes, they were looking at his feet, slumped in defeat. Klaus clicked his tongue before he turned to Allison, nodding at her. Deciding what'll be done once he sees the human behind the beast's mask.

" _I heard a rumor_...you turned back into a human."

The sound of bones snapping echoed around the field as the beast's body folded in on itself like a collapsable tent, the first thing he saw was the pitch black of the scales turn into waist length hair. He kneeled down and sighed sadly as he sees a 15 year old kid, staring back at him with huge, wet eyes.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" she whispered, shivering as the Artic wind blows by her exposed body. He unzipped his coat and placed it around her gently.

"No. I'm not going to kill you. Allison." he said. Allie walked forwards and smiled at her sweetly.

" _I heard a rumor_....that you walked away."

Klaus gasped, jumping out of the chair with his hand over his chest trying to calm his racing heart.

"Congratulation Unit 12. You passed. Now, your first mission. Charleston."


	10. Charleston

Vanya decided, as she clings to her brother like a lifeline, that she hated planes. She'd take their beaten down old car any day over this. The thing rattles around, making her nerves stand on edge. Her mouth had become a desert though she could still taste her blood though. Klaus was scared too, she could feel it, simmering under the comforting buzz his powers gave her. But he wasn't on the verge of a full blown panic attack, at least not yet. Allison gave her a small, comforting smile from where she sits across from them beside Ben and the Horror. It makes her feel a bit better though it doesn't really do anything to help her nerves.

"You're fine Vanya. I won't let anything happen to you." Klaus said, as she laid her head on his shoulder, Five glanced over at them briefly before he goes back to his notebook.

They were suppose to kidnap some kid down in Charleston, they don't know anything about her except for the fact she's a girl and she's got some sort of ghostly powers. The Commission would be tailing them in their fancy SUV's though they wouldn't be there for at least a day, maybe more. Five's plan was simple but she had to admit, it was incredibly effective. They were to find her quickly and convince her to help them. Five had an idea that since she's got some sort of ghost powers, she could fly them away, get them to safety.

She only hoped he was right. God knows she can't stand that facility anymore.

-

The sun shined down on them, burying into their skin and lighting the thing on fire, sweat was already beading down his forehead, he hated it here. Klaus decided, he hated The Commission even more for sending him here.

"Where do we even start looking for her? We don't even know how old she is!" Allison said, glaring around her at the people who milled around.

Klaus hated them too, he hated them for being so happy, so normal, everything he ever wished he could give Vanya, they all had within their fingertips and so many of them took it for granted. Wished for something they didn't know anything about. He had to wonder why anyone would want to be special, all it's ever given him was nothing but grief. He lost everything for being special. He supposed that's why it was easier for him than it was for Vanya to rip up their roots and move some place else. Getting attached, it only hurts you in the end.

"I have a guess." Five said, glancing at the people with thinly veiled contempt.

"Don't keep us in suspense, tell us." Allison said, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her skin impatiently.

"I think she's a kid, maybe about six or seven. Her report says that locals see her stealing from shops, candy bars, sweets things like that. If I had to guess, I'd say she's on the streets too. Kids with parents don't steal to keep themselves alive." he said.

Klaus nodded, he was glad Hargreeves had given their team Five, he didn't know if they could even function without his clever little plans.

"Okay, that's good. Do we know what street she was last spotted at?"

"Yeah, this one." Five said, gesturing around him.

"Well then." Klaus said, taking over, since Hargreeves and the Handler had made him the leader, he didn't even know why, he's hardly responsible enough taking care of himself and Vanya. Look how well that turned out. "We better start looking. Allie, you, Five and Ben take the shops. Vanya and I'll do the street."

She nodded back and quickly left, towing the two grumbling teens with her.

"Ready to start looking?"

"As ready as I can be." she said, giving him a small smile.

-

It didn't take her very long to find their 'Subject' as Hargreeves called her, she just had to follow the sounds of angry yelling and someone screaming.

"I'll gut you girl!"

Five, Ben and she were off, running down the path, hardly noticing the sun though their clothes stuck to them like a second skin, her hair was beginning to puff out, she knew that without looking. Five rolled his eyes.

"This's a waste of time!"

Before he disappeared with a beep.

"Well, that's one way to do it." Ben said, rolling his eyes at their team mate.

"At least he'll get it done quickly."

-

Five appeared at the front of the store and allowed his eyes to roam around the faces, trying to see one that looked like a small girl with unimaginable powers. You'd think that'd be easy to find right? Turns out, not that easy. The air shimmered for a second before a girl about 5 years old appeared out of thin air, her eyes were wide and her arms were full of sweets and fizzy drinks. Just like his use to be, she turned around and flew down the pathway with the store owner cursing her down the road.

"If I ever find you near here again. I'll fuck you up, you thieving bitch!"

Five glared at the man, he was young and relatively good looking before he flipped him off then he raced off after her, his black tennis shoes smacked into the tarmac, echoing around him, the girl turned around and gave him a terrified look before she disappeared. He froze, looking around him in disbelief.

"What the fuck? Where'd you go?"

_Well, that's an incredibly useful power._

His ears twitched as he began listening to everything closely, now with his entire focus on his hearing, everything became clearer, he could hear the creaking of the branches as they swayed in the boiling wind, the tweets of birds as they fed their hatchlings, the shift of stones and dirt under foot and...

"Got you." Five said, lunging forwards and grabbing the girl by her shoulders.

She yelped and they both tumbled to the ground, pebbles dug into their soft skin and dust and dirt latched onto his muscle shirt and her torn and ragged blouse. It looked like she'd been wearing that same thing for years, she smelt like a sewer, her black hair was limp and hung around her shoulders like lifeless ropes, laden with grease, her face was covered in grime and black marks littered her dark skin, the culmination of a year's worth of filth, he supposed.

Five landed on his belly, his stomach churned at the heavy blow he got to it, he glared at the girl and said, standing up and brushing off his clothes.

"You idiot, what did you think you were doing running?"

"Getting away from you, I know who you are. Daddy said that bad people would come for me if I wasn't careful." she said, her voice was soft, innocent and childlike.

"Where's your Daddy then?" he asked, though he had a feeling he already knew.

"He's Gone. He's been Gone a long time, they came to our house and destroyed it. He went Gone to save me." she said, her big brown eyes were flooding with tears.

He froze up, listen, he could handle people running, he could even handle fighting people if he needed to, since you know, he'd got an ace up his sleeve. But tears? He can't deal with tears. But in his second of hesitation, she was gone.

"Shit! Clever bitch." he muttered. Grudging respect entering his voice.

He looked around him, trying to find a way he could easily track her without asking for help, don't get him wrong, he loves his team mates but he's use to doing things on his own, he'd been doing that for a long time. It was hard for him to even work in a team, he wasn't asking for help too. He grabbed the girl's file and looked over it quickly. She was smart but he doubted she'd think of running to another city like Vanya and Klaus did, seeing as she was so young. His eyes rove over the map of her whereabouts and his eyes light up as he zeroes in on a section of the little town not far from here.

He folded it up and began his trek through the stifling hot desert, as soon as he has her he'll have to get the others, their abilities would be extremely useful right about now. He smirked as he sees her once more, she was pulling at a grate under a wooden staircase that lead up to huge house. He doubted the owners even knew she was there. He walked forwards quickly before he realized, she'd run for it if she saw him opening the grate. He sighed and reluctanely clipped in his ear piece.

"Klaus? You there?"

"Really? That's what you open with? We're never getting you a date." he said, the ear piece tickled the shell of his ear. Five rolled his eyes, annoyed over his immaturity, you'd swear he was the oldest out of their unit not him.

"Don't be stupid. I've found her. She's at XXX street on XXX corner."

"We'll be there in five minutes."

-

Ben knew he shouldn't get so excited by the possibility of meeting a new team mate of theirs, seeing as they were all nothing but assets to The Commission, though he couldn't help it, he was excited to meet their new friend. Well, hopefully she'll be their friend. Besides if Five's plan works out right, they won't even be under The Commission by the end of the week.

"What have you got so far?" Klaus asked, ever the leader, he doesn't know why he thinks that he can't be a good one, seeing as he's gotten them through everything up until now.

"She can turn invisible, pretty damn useful I'd say, though she didn't show any more, she's a child too. Barely out of diapers."

"Then we'll have to be sensitive about how we get to her. They say she has ghost powers right? She'll probably be able to fly, we need to make sure she's stays around to hear everything that we have to say." Klaus said.

"I have a plan for that, the kid lost her dad not so long ago, we should send Allison in first."

"Allison? Why not me?" Vanya asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"So Allison can calm her down, she's more likely to talk to her, she looks like she could be someone's mom." Ben said, nodding at Five for the brilliant idea.

"I don't know if I should be offended or flattered by that."

"It doesn't matter, you're still the most obvious option, once she's calm then we'll go in and explain the plan."

"And what happens if I can't calm her down?"

"Then Vanya and Ben'll have to restrain her for you to rumor." Five said.

"This sounds like a plan just waiting to go wrong." Klaus said. "But it's the best one we've got, you can do this Allie, just be your normal, loving self and you'll be fine."

She nodded, though she still looked nervous before she set off down the road, kneeling by the grate and giving the girl inside a small smile.

-

"Who are you?" the little girl mumbles, looking at her with suspicious eyes though she seemed relatively calm, that's a start.

"I'm Allison, I saw you run in here, you okay?" she asked, she didn't have to pretend she was concerned with her either, she didn't like how thin and unhealthy she looked and her nose wrinkled at the girl's smell, she needed a bath.

"Why do you care? Are you with the boy?" she asked. _Clever._

"What boy? Has the boy hurt you?" she asked, though she knew Five hadn't so much as misplaced a hair on her head.

"No...he was nice...not like the girls who come by."

"What girls?" she asked, sitting down with her back to the staircase, they were all listening, waiting to move in when she was either calm or panicking.

"A group of big girls, they're older than the other too. 15 or 16? They come into my home sometimes...they like to..." she stopped talking, looking away from her with furrowed brows.

Allison didn't say anything though her face had paled dramatically at the girl's words, she didn't need to tell her what they liked to do to her, she already knew. Klaus cursed angrily into the ear piece, going on a tirade of foul mouthed words that she probably shouldn't repeat to the little girl.

"I see. Why don't you go home then? To get away from them?" she asked, carefully skirted around the edges of the topic, she didn't want to trigger her PTSD.

"No home to go back to. Daddy's Gone."

"So, you're running from someone? The person who made your Daddy Gone?"

"They come by here every once in a while, they send new people every time like the boy from earlier. But Daddy said that they'd hurt me, make me do things that I don't want to. Make me hurt people." she mumbled.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she asked her.

"What?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in thought.

"I'm from those Bad People but I don't want to hurt people anymore, I don't want to be a weapon for them to use whenever they feel like it. I want to help you. But I need your help."

"What do you need help with?"

"How about I let the boy explain? He's much better at plans then I am. I promise you they're friends."

"Okay...I trust you...please don't make me be sorry for it."

"I promise."

"What's that mean?"

"A promise is something a friend makes a friend, something they can never break. You'll be safe, I promise. What's your name?"

"Claire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about Charleston so I decided that I'd just put in x's where names of places were meant to be. I didn't want to offend anyone. I'm not from America, I have no idea about your geography. Anyway thanks for reading.


	11. On the Road again.

Vanya stared behind them as the road kicks up dust in their haste to get away, she could hardly believe it, freedom was so close, Claire was in the back with her eyes closed. Klaus's eyes flickered up to the mirror where he can use it to see her.

"You're worried." she noted.

"Yeah, she's a kid. How long do you think she can keep this up?" he asked, biting his lips so badly the skin bursts under the pressure.

"Not for long, there's a safe house I know. There's people there who can help." Five said.

"How do we know that?" Ben countered, she shivered as his stomach wriggled, the Horror's way of communicating with them since they're not all inside Ben's head. Yes, it's as sickening and terrifying as it sounds. "He doesn't like it."

"Okay, since when has he ever liked anything?" Allison asked back, gently pushing Claire's curls out of her face.

"That's besides the point!"

"No, that's exactly the point." Klaus snapped back.

Vanya smiled lightly as Five rolled his eyes so hard they would've fallen out of his head if they could have. Five had the body of a kid but the mind of an old man, it'd been something of a joke in their little group. So, to a mind like Five's, this must seem childish but to Vanya, it's the first time she had tasted normal in a year. She remembered how she envied the siblings she saw in the town when Aunt Grace had brought her that one time. She remembered how she envied their happiness and how she envied their bonds even more so. Klaus and her. They're all each other had, for the longest of times. They couldn't be just brother and sister, she hadn't realized how much she missed until they came upon their group.

-

"You sent two idiots to get them instead of us?" Diego demanded, fury like he's never felt before burned in his belly, it wasn't because he wanted to see Vanya, of course it wasn't. He was upset that he'd lost his newest recruits. That's it. That's all it had to be.

"Thanks." Lila drawled out from where she leaned against the doorway.

"Don't act like you didn't royally screw up." snapped Dave. "We have no idea where they are and no way to track them either since they got to the girl before we did."

"We sent them because you two are getting a little too attached to your little team. All of you are." the Handler said, flicking her blue eyes in between the two brothers, in all but blood. "Tell me something boys, do you think we're idiots?"

"I'm not sure you want us to answer that question." Dave said, glaring at her angrily. It's something that he's always admired about him, he's never been scared of them, maybe it had something to do with him being the most powerful empath they'd ever come across, whatever the case he wasn't even nervous under their mentor's gaze.

"Oh no. I think we do. I mean, what can you say that won't put your little sister in danger?" she coldly questioned. Diego's eyes widened and he chanced a glance at him.

_He said she was dead, that they had killed her._

Dave stood up straighter and his eyes turned to slits, Lila had always said that he was the hot head of their team, but she's never seen Dave lose his temper.

"You think I'm scared of you?" he asked. His voice uncharacteristacally cold.

"Maybe you should be." she said.

"Why? You've got no real power. If I wanted to. I could have you killed, right here and right now. All I'd have to do is cook up some anger and Hargreeves over there, Lila. Hell, even Diego, would murder you in a heartbeat. You have nothing." he said.

The Handler had gone stoically silent, her cruel eyes gleamed as a punishment began to turn itself over in her mind. Hargreeves was smirking to himself, he was obviously pleased.

"Is that so? Luther have him taken up to his sister's cell. I'll be up there once I'm done with the other one." she said.

Dave glared at her as Luther leads him out of the room, sparing a concerned look at Diego.

"Do you think we haven't notice how you act around your new little pet?" the Handler began, Diego kept his face neutral.

"I don't know what you mean Handler." he said.

"Oh please. I saw it when we first brought her in, how you couldn't keep your eyes from our favorite little mouse, who could blame you? I mean, she looked great in that top, wouldn't you say?" she said.

That familiar yet foreign feeling of anger and hatred burned through his stomach again, he wasn't even sure why. He just knew he hated how the Handler talked about Vanya, it didn't sit right with him.

"Now, I thought after a few weeks you'd move on since I know the sorts of things you and Lila get up to at night. But no, she's seen how you look at her, I think, she's even kissed you. Hasn't she?" the Handler said.

Diego glanced down at her with carefully hidden emotions.

"We're beginning to get a little concerned, we can't have soldiers with divided loyalties. You know what happens to them, don't you? Aren't you gonna say something?" she asked.

"It seems to me. That your little one is jealous and she's seeing things that aren't there. Vanya did kiss me. Because she needed to feel something just like every other recruit that comes through here. And because of your ridiculous jealousy. We lost one of our most valuable teams. I'm not the one who should be on trial here." Diego stated.

"Number 2 has a point. I trained him myself and he knows better than to disappoint me. It looks like the only one getting attached to anything is you and _your_ little pet."

-

Hazel stared around him at Five's family that he'd picked up along the way, he had known Five all his life and he had never seen him happier, even though it was hard to see sometimes.

"You think the Commission is hunting them down?" Cha-Cha muttered to him as dawn broke.

"No doubt about it. I know what you're going to say and we shouldn't."

"Why the hell not? The Commission's been on our asses for the better part of 20 years. Don't you think we deserve a break?" she asked.

"You're talking about selling someone out for us. I don't know about you but I couldn't live with myself."

"Why should we care? You know Five would sell us out if he had to, why shouldn't we do the same?"

"Because we're better than that. We have to be."

Hazel sighed, watching as she stands up and walking over to her bed that was slumped comfortably along the wall opposite him, the others were all over the floor, huddled in sleeping bags. Even in their sleep, they weren't far from each other. He supposed he hadn't told Cha-Cha the _entire_ truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading, sorry it took so long. Been busy. Hazel and Cha-Cha are finally in the mix, next chapter is all about them surviving on the streets and the aftermath of the Handler's punishment on poor Dave. I have to admit, I think he's one of my favorites of this story.


	12. Family, huh?

Vanya moves along the sides of the building cat like and incredibly agile, even for her. She supposed living on the streets for the better part of a year certainly puts things in perspective. Klaus is beside her, as close as her shadow. They never go too far in this writhing city without each other. She placed her hand on the brick, wincing at the dampness that flows through the cracks in her fingers. Her heart stutters at the grunt of cars coming from the road ahead. She didn't know why her and Klaus had been chosen to do this part, Klaus and Five know she's no good at this sort of thing. But Klaus wouldn't let her out of his sight, not after what happened not two weeks before. Klaus held out an arm, his ears twitching as they desperatly tried to pick up any approacing footsteps.

"Do you hear anything?" Vanya mumbled, hardly daring to be louder than a breath.

"Just the cars, Five. You sure he went this way?" Klaus mumbled into his earpiece. Vanya was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't managed to break it just yet.

"Yes, idiot. I wouldn't risk losing you two if I wasn't sure." he snapped back, his voice was brittle and breaking on static.

"Are we growing on you little brother?" he teased lightly, a small curl of his lips showing Vanya he enjoyed winding him up, knowing Five hated that name.

"I changed my mind. You can kick it for all I care." Five snarled back but it didn't have any heat behind it.

"Oh, but then who would you have to complain about? Face it, your life is nothing without me." he said, posing a hand on his chest.

"My life would be a lot more peaceful that's for sure, he's on the move." Five said.

"Have you got a visual on him?" Klaus muttered, all his playfulness gone.

"Claire called it in, she's following him now, turn the corner and head down the street." Five instructed.

-

Allison chewed her thumbnail in fear as she watches Five's screen closely, she's never felt this sort of fear before, it seemed to be pumping through her system like poison, twisting her nerves up and knotting them all together. The worst part was she wasn't even sure why she was so scared, maybe it's because the Commission's been closing in on them for days now? Maybe it's because she knows what'll happen if they get their hands on them again? She wasn't stupid, her cell had been just below the upper floor, she could hear their screams.

"Would you stop pacing?" Cha-Cha demanded, looking up from where she was cleaning her gun. "You're even making my nerves fry!"

"Sorry." Allison said, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm worried."

"You don't say." Cha-Cha drawled back sarcastically. "Look, your girl's gonna be fine, she's invisible right?"

"That doesn't stop the fear. And she's not mine." she said.

"Really? Could've fooled me, honey." she said. "Here, I'll show you something."

Allison sat beside her and listened intently as she explained how to take apart a gun and how to fit it back in place, surprisingly it worked, it helped her calm down.

"You and your siblings. One day, you might not have your powers to rely on, it's better if you learn how to defend yourselves."

"You actually have a point for the first time in your life." mused Five, glancing up from where he sat.

"Shut it, shrimp." Cha-Cha ordered.

-

Klaus really hated these sorts of missions, he was positive that stuff like this must've shaved of twenty years worth of his life, he especially hated dragging Vanya with him. He knows she hates these sorts of missions too. But he didn't trust Cha-Cha and neither did Five, which had set alarm bells off in his head instantly. Say what you will about the shrimp but he's got some instincts. Klaus used the air to push him forwards and onto the Commission agent. They grunt as they tumble to the ground, fists flying in every direction. But in the end the agent was under him, pinned by his legs.

"Damn, Dave made a soldier out of you, huh?" Cole asked, grinning up at him with bloody teeth.

"Where are the others?" Klaus asked, his voice deepened as he spoke until he sounded like he was growling.

"If there were others, which there aren't, what makes you think I'd answer you huh?"

"Because I can make this relatively pleasant for you or I can make it so much worse." he answered.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight. I've come with a message from Hargreeves. The new boss in town." he stated. "He said to tell you that he's coming and no matter how far you run or how quick. He'll always find you."

Klaus's face morphed into a spine chilling sneer before he snapped his fingers. Cole began to choke, spluttering as he clutched his throat desperately searching for air that Klaus had taken from him after 30 seconds he was out. Klaus picked him up and casually threw him over his shoulder.

"Klaus?" Vanya whispered, clutching her filthy coat closer to her scrawny frame, he'll need to get them more food soon.

"I've got an idea to throw them off our trail."

-

Ben rose an eyebrow as Klaus stuns them with his plan again, even after the fifth time he was still shocked their usually easy going leader could come up with something so clever.

"I may have underestimated you." Five admitted. "That's a brilliant idea."

"Thought you make like it, 'course we're gonna need a few things to play it out. Who's the one with the ability to warp reality?" Klaus asked, his brows furrowed.

"Tyler but he's in isolation after a recent spat with Diego, your boyfriend's been nothing short of a dictator since you've been gone princess." Cole said, smiling at Vanya.

"He's not my boyfriend." she snapped back, disgusted.

"But you'd like him to be, wouldn't you?" Cole answered. Hazel stood up and swatted him on the back of the head.

"Shut up, we're asking the questions here. Allison?" he said, turning to her, she smoothed Claire's hair gently before she came over to them and bowed down to see him.

" _I heard a rumor....that you told us how many men came with you._ "

"10. They're staying at the Plaza hotel." he said.

"Any of them have avatar creation?" Klaus asked.

" _I heard a rumor....you answered him._ "

"Adam Millington. Powerful too." he said.

"Good. Here's what's gonna happen Cole, you're going up to that hotel and you're going to lure out Adam and bring him to us and then Allison will rumor him into doing this and then you're going back to Hargreeves and telling him that we died, you came to get us in the middle of the night, we put up a fight and in the end you had no choice."

-

 **Do you think we're free now?** Ben asked the horror as the car rushes away from the scene of the crime just as the first sirens were heard.

_I hope so. I'm tired of moving from place to place. I think we're gonna like it with these people_

**They've grown on you, huh?**

_Hey, just because I'm an inter-dimensional being doesn't mean I don't know understand all your feelings about your family. If you like 'em then I like 'em._

**Family, huh?** he asked.

Before turning to Claire who was resting on Five's shoulder, a month a go he would've been horrified and shrugged her off but oddly, he seemed at peace about it. Allison and Vanya were speaking to each other about some show or the other in the seats in front of us, they hadn't smiled like that in a while. Klaus was in the front, adjusting his mirror so he could keep his eyes on all of them, making sure they were safe. He's done that every night since they escaped.

"Hey, Benny." Klaus called, eyeing his drooping eyes. "How about you get some sleep huh? I'll wake you when we stop at a diner."

"Okay...night." he muttered.

His smile widened as they all whispered night back to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, sorry this chapter's a little shorter as well as mostly filler. Next chapter we're going back to the Commission to see if their plan worked....


	13. Pathway to Hell

Diego watched his new recruits with barely contained disdain, though he knew it wasn't fair to take all his frustrations out on the new recruits, they hadn't done anything to earn his ire. But it was so easy to. Diego barked as his recruit stumbled and fell to the ground, his face was pale and his body was shaking. He forced himself to pull in his rage a little and decided that he'd go a little easier for today, the boy nodded. He couldn't be more than 15. He didn't mean to make them so afraid. He supposed Hargreeves is having a field day, bragging to the Handler how much better trained they are.

"Sir?" one of the recruits whispers tentatatively. He allowed his brown eyes to gaze over at her in annoyance. "What should we do next?" 

"Head for the course, Luther's out there." he said, he could hardly recognize his own voice anymore, maybe that's a part of becoming a monster. 

The recruits nodded viciously before they scuttled from the room with their tails between their legs, he turned his eyes on Dave as he walks inside the room. He looked horrible, they'd been taking him up to the floor above for the better part of 3 months, the last thing the Handler demanded to be done. And Hargreeves didn't want to end it until he was satisfied he'd learned his lessons. What lesson he could get from that torture he's never wanted to question. He's had enough experience with his boss's twisted mind. 

"You look better." he offered, allowing a small flicker of a smile to grace his face. 

"You know, you're a horrible liar, you always have been. But it's fine, I know I look like the backside of a baboon right now, did you find them yet?" he asked, squinting his eyes at him. 

"They say they shot them down after they wouldn't come back." he said, allowing his bitterness to leak onto his tongue. 

"But you don't believe that?" 

"Let me ask you something, you think Emeric and Klaus'd be dumb enough to get caught?" he asked back. 

He knew for certain that Vanya wouldn't be, though he didn't say that out loud even though he knew his brother would understand him better than anyone since he hadn't taken his eyes of the older of the twins since they first stepped foot in the compound. He wouldn't shut up about him when they were all in their apartment together. It was exactly how Raymond acted around Allison, and he couldn't say he was any better, since he hadn't stopped talking about Vanya since he saw her in the bar.

"No, he wouldn't. Try telling that to Hargreeves though, the man's been throwing a full scale tantrum over it, the others won't even go near his office they're afraid something will be thrown at them." Dave said, not overly concern. Klaus was safe, he wasn't here, that's all he cared about. 

"I still think we should do it." he's ready for the glare of utter contempt thrown his way for those words. 

"And I think if the Commission thinks they're dead then it should stay that way."

"Don't you want him back? How can you sit here knowing he could be hurt? Dying? Getting tortured by the Soviets?" he asked, his anger steadily building as he imagined all the things that could happen to Vanya. 

"They're still safer out there." he said. 

"Being hunted down every single step of the way? Having to look over their shoulders. Not to mention the paranoia that'd come with it. Hargreeves's going to calm down eventually, he's going to realize who we're talking about and then he's going to send out his best soldiers and drag them back here. And you know what happens then." he said. 

Dave glanced away from him, his eyes clouded with uncertainty and fear. If Hargreeves finds Vanya before him....he shuddered to think what sort of experiment he'd plan for her and maybe if he wanted to be a particular prick he'd force her brother to watch as he tore her open. He couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't. 

"I'm leaving, tonight with Raymond and Luther, we're gonna find them." he said.

"She'll hate you." 

"Then I'll let her hate me because if Hargreeves gets to her first...it's a fate worse than death. You know what he does to people who disappoint him. I don't think you're likely to forget George's screams."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's really short. But all the pieces are moving now. Next chapter we're back with Klaus and Vanya.


	14. The calm before.

Vanya threaded her hands through Ben's hair gently as he tried to get his breathing under control again, she hated when she was the one who woke up to him having nightmares. It was terrifying of course, but that's not why she hated it so much. It was the feeling of utter uselessness that came with his screams that broke her heart more than she was willing to admit. Ben shifted slightly so he could nuzzle her neck gently. She'd noticed that he tended to like getting comfort from hugs and whispered words. While Five preferred being left alone but knowing that they were there to talk. And honestly, she thought her and Klaus's nightmares were bad but compared to Five and Ben? They got off light.

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked, feeling as though it was the only thing she really could say.

"No...can we go out for a while...I don't want to sleep just yet." he muttered.

"Sure, come on." she said, holding out her hand and gently pulling him from the bed he shares with Five, said boy hadn't even stirred, just moving onto his side and humming in his sleep. You wouldn't think he had it in him to murder countless people with the way he looks now. "You ever watched Supernatural?" she asked, jumping onto the couch and laughing softly as Ben copied her. Almost falling off the bed before she caught him and gently steadied him.

"No."

"Well, it's about two brothers and I think you'll really like it." she mused, ruffling his hair as she brought the show up on Netflix.

"Is it scary?" he asked.

"No, I'm the biggest wuss you'll ever meet and I watched it with no problems but if it gets too scary, just tell me. Okay?" she asked, kissing his head softly as he nods.

"Okay."

Ben was knocked out by the time they started playing the 7th episode in a row, he'd been determined to keep awake, falling in love with it but sleep demands its penance she supposed. Vanya smiled, using the earth to get her on her feet with Ben balanced perfectly in her arms. She placed him in his bed and let out the breath she'd been holding in. She hated when they had nightmares did she ever tell you?

-

They hadn't been easy to track, they kept moving, never staying somewhere for too long, he should've known they'd do that, considering he'd trained Klaus and Emeric himself. When he caught sight of him, his heart betrayed him as it sped up. He couldn't help the rush of relief that came with seeing him alive, after everything that happened with Alessia, he needed something good to hold onto.

"Have you seen Allison?" Ray whispered in his ear, waking up from the 30 minute power nap he'd been having.

"Not yet. Ray, can I ask you something? Something that you'll promise to be honest with me about?" he asked, watching as Klaus and Emeric walk down the street, they looked like they were arguing about something but it didn't seem serious, hell, it even _looked_ playful in its most truest form.

"You want to know if I think we're doing the right thing." he said, sighing softly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You've been tapping out that annoying song you love for the past hour on that wheel. So, yeah, I'd say it's a little obvious."

"Doesn't this bother you? Knowing that she's going to hate you? That she'll...that she'll probably never forgive you?" he asked, aware he was projecting his own feelings about this onto him but honestly wouldn't you?

"I know that she'll hate me for it." he admitted, sighing softly. "But it's like Diego said, we need to get them back to the compound before Hargreeves does. I'd rather having her hate me than having her coming back and being tortured."

"I know, but I'm just wondering if this's really the kindest thing to do, if Hargreeves wants them tortured then there's nothing that we can do to stop it." he said.

He forced his mind to stop thinking about seeing Klaus broken on the floor in a pool of his own blood with his bones snapped out of place and poking out of his skin. Or the sight of his frail, excruciating thin body. His stomach boiled in utter revulsion at that thought. Or maybe he'll make him overdose on sedatives, he thinks that might be the worse, seeing his mind turn to mush before his eyes and being unable to stop it.

"Can't you make him listen?" he asked, Dave turned to him horrified as he brings up that power he keeps so well hidden from the Commission. "You could...you know...make him listen if you were to make him bond with you."

"You'd want me to practically rape someone?" he asked, his mouth tasted like blood at that horrific thought.

"Of course not!" he said, his eyes wide. "Just...make his ties to you strong enough for him to listen."

"I can't control that! You know I can't! What starts off as simple turns darker over time as it grows." he said, shaking his head.

"It was a suggestion."

"A terrible one!"

"Listen, Dave." Ray said, after an eternity of painful silence. "I know how much you hate using it okay, after everything that happened with George but sometimes, we have do things we don't like. Because it must be done. If he wants to hurt them, to hurt _Klaus_. We all know what happens when you get angry enough."

Dave didn't bother answering him, he clenched his jaw in rage. He would _never_ use that curse again.

-

Klaus grabbed some food as Five wondered off to the electronics that he's got an unhealthy obsession with to say the bloody least, not that he takes his constructive criticism lightly as in his words.

" _It's none of your fucking business!_ "

He smirked as he barked at a kid who'd bumped into him, it was an improvement honestly. Seeing as about 6 months ago he would've had to break up a fight, the kid glared at him evilly as he wondered off.

"You just...have no idea how to talk to people your age do you?" he asked, beyond amused.

"Well, they're all idiots." he scoffed back.

"Even Claire and Ben, huh?" he asked.

"Especially Claire and Ben!" he said.

"I'm telling them you said that."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would, I wonder what they'll do in retaliation? Honestly, I can't wait to see." he said, snickering at the look of pure horror on his little brother's face.

He turned to the cashier and hefted up all his groceries with Five in his ear, bargaining everything from his twenty bucks he found to getting a free ride anywhere he wanted. His smile drops as his eyes meet his from across the store. He silently cursed him for looking so good. Dave kept his eyes on him, gauging his emotions, he knew. As soon as he paid the cashier, he grabbed Five's hand and yanked him from the store, not bothering by his strongly worded protests.

"Five!" he said, spinning around when he managed to yank his hand from his grip with a sneer that dropped at his incredibly serious look. "Please, not now. You can kick my ass later but we need to leave, right now."

"Okay." he said, learning when he was deadly serious and when he was joking.

Klaus was pretty sure he broke every single speeding law in all the fifty states but he didn't stop, well, that's a lie. He slowed down when Five practically begged him to go easy on the accelerator. They jumped out of the car and rushed inside only to see Luther, Diego and Raymond already there. The slamming of the door let him know that Dave was here too. Vanya, Ben, Allison and Claire had those cuffs on that they hated so much, he could see Diego had been talking to her and it made his blood boil.

"Howdy boys." he said, allowing a playful smirk to flit across his lips, trying to ignore how his family all turned to him, waiting for his word. He hated being the leader, has he ever told you that? "You know if you wanted to get us alone, all you had to do was ask."

That's when all hell broke lose.


	15. Right back where we started.

Chaos unraveled around Dave in a blink of his eye, one second, Klaus was standing in the middle of the room and the next he was above them, spinning in a whirlwind of air and fire. The white hot flames scorched his skin, singing his beard and forearms as though they were nothing but tissue. Dave threw himself onto the ground, his back hitting the cold floor of the warehouse, pieces of gravel stabbed his soft skin through his flannel and vest. It didn't matter much to him though, even if rivets of blood beaded out of the flesh wounds he'd gotten from the impact. He could hear Emeric's tell tale whine as he jumped through space. Dave allowed himself a fleeting moment to feel pride that his subjects had gotten so good so quickly, they turly were a team now. Emeric appeared in front of him and gave him a strained smile that showed Dave that whatever he was about to do, he was going to enjoy immensely. He only had a second to prepare before Emeric slammed his head into the wall behind them and cuffed him to a pipe that stank of rust and sewage.

"I would say I'm sorry, but I really don't like you, I'll be taking that!" he said, yanking his key from his pocket "sit tight princess, Klaus and I aren't done with you yet."

Dave yanked on his useless hands, pulling at the chain. The way the links clinked against his pipe somehow seemed mocking to him. He growled before he turned around, taking in the glorious and terrible fight around him. Klaus's eyes were glowing and his muscles were straining against the amount of power he was channeling through them. Klaus pushed his hands out and apart, his brothers went flying through the air, Luther flipped around and landed with an almighty crash that shook the crumbling building around them, stones gently falling from the roof and the beams croaked and groaned, slowly snapping apart. Diego and Ray hadn't been so lucky, he could hear the cracks of their skulls against the mysteriously stained walls that were patterned in such a way that reminded him unnervingly of blood. Emeric was by the other subjects, he unlocked Vanya first and Dave cursed him to hell for that. Vanya was on her feet, she was a blur as she rose a wave of earth to her command. Dave watched, slightly terrified as she closed her hand quickly making the earth shred itself into tiny pieces that she sent through the wall of gold and orange flame her brother had encircled around them.

Luther yelped, jumping in the air and twisting in such a way that all her missiles messed him, though only barely. Diego gasped holding out his hands, just in time, stopping the sharpnel from tearing him and Ray to shreds.

"Vanya." he called. Vanya, shocked, stopped her assault, her eyes were like fire as they zeroed in on him and him alone. Dave can't say he envies his brother, he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that glare. "we want to help you. I don't want to fight."

"You want to make us go back. To that hell. How is that wanting to help us?" she demanded.

"Once Hargreeves finishes his brooding, he's gonna interrogate the people you rumored and he's gonna find out you escaped him and that you're alive. Then nothing's gonna save you from his wrath." he said.

"And if you take us back? What'll that do for us except make you look good?" she asked.

"You're not considering this!?" Emeric shouted. "after everything they did to us? What they made us do!?"

"Yeah, it'll look good for us, but if we're the ones that bring you back then yeah, he'll be furious, but the worse he'll do to you is put you in solitary if he comes looking for you with his men. He'll smuggle you all back inside, tell everyone you've died and take you to the top floor." he said.

"There's a floor above Headquarters?"

"Yes. Haven't you heard them Allison? Your room's underneath the cells, you can hear their screams, can't you?" Ray said, turning his attention on the Rumor, who was standing back with the little girl they saved. "I know you can."

"I can hear them screaming." she confirmed softly. "but that doesn't mean you're telling the truth. All you've ever done Ray, was lie, why would you think that I believe you now?"

Diego held up his hands and dropped the missiles, Luther straightened and did his best to seem as unintimidating as possible. Ray dropped his gun and they all held up their hands. Vanya slowly eased out of her fighting stance, letting the earth fall, Klaus came down from his whirlwind and subtly held onto his sister with a clammy hand. If Dave didn't know him as well as he did, he would've said he even looked calm, but he saw the dip in his brows, the unsure tilt of his lips. Emeric sneered disdainfully as he and Ben walked forwards with Allison and the child being put as far behind them as they could get.

"Say we go with you." Klaus began, "say this top floor is even real. What could he possibly do that's worse than everything he's already done?"

"Klaus." Dave said, his blue eyes snapped to his and how he had missed his beautiful azures that could be as clear as a summer's day or as stormy as a hurricane, his eyes were a marvel. "my sister's locked up there."

His eyes immediately softened as he not so subtly looked at his sister, no doubt imagining what he'd do if it'd been Vanya there instead. He pulled on the handcuffs and glared at Emeric angrily.

"And the things they do to her, the things they've forced _me_ to do to her. They keep me up at night. Even in my dreams her screams and the smell of her blood haunts me. I know you don't exactly have a high opinion of us, but we do care about you... _I_ do care about you." he said, Klaus snapped his eyes away from him, angrily, probably thinking he was manipulating him but he wasn't, all he said was true.

"Allie, rumor them, make sure they're telling the truth." he ordered.

"And if they are?" Emeric asked.

"Then we go with them."

-

The ground was cold beneath his back and he could feel the mud sliding along his strands of hair as he stared at the sky above him, counting out all the stars he could see. And _definitely_ not thinking about Vanya, who was on the other side of the campfire, the picture of innocence with her black hair spread around her in a halo of hair. Diego tore his eyes away from her and breathed in deeply. He wondered when this had happened? When had he become so invested in keeping the girl alive? When had he started caring so much? More than he ever had with Lila, that's for sure. With Lila, it was routine and a need to get out all his baser needs. But he hadn't cared for her, just as she hadn't cared for him, at least not in the way he bent over backwards for her and put his own neck on the line. Well, he just wasn't use to it. But he can't say it's not a welcomed change. He froze when Emeric appears over him, a blade close, too close to his neck. His eyes were dark as if he was ready and more than willing to slit his throat. _What a way to go out, getting assassinated by a damn kid._

"If you betray us, or your hurt them, or _her._ " his voice took on a whole different snarl when he spoke of Vanya "then I promise after what I do to you, Hargreeves's methods will look like child's play."

"That's quite a threat there, little man. Question is, will you have the balls for it?" he smirked at him lightly as he pressed the knife dangerously close to his neck.

"Don't mock me, Diego. I grew up on the streets of New York, you either grew balls or you became someone else's bitch." his voice stuttered and his words strangled at the word 'bitch', Diego's eyes widened at all he left unsaid "don't give me a reason to add your name to the list of nobodies that I've already killed."

-

Vanya refused to buckle under Hargreeves' look of pure malice and anger, she kept her one arm wrapped tightly around Five's shoulder and linked the other with Klaus, the silence in the room was stifling and nearly had her going crazy with all the tension mounting.

"Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5. You've done the Commission proud, I'll see to it that you are all rewarded for your services. For now, take them to the cells beneath the research lab, they'll be in solitary confinement and hung from their wrists."

"Yes sir."

Diego was the one who led her to her own cell, she wished that she could hate how he had stayed with her, she wished she could find him as unremarkable as all the other men and women around her. But she couldn't, her eyes refused to unsee and she hated that about herself. And she loved it too. Was that possible? To both love and hate something about yourself? She kept her gaze solidly on the wall beind his hand as his calluses gently weave the ropes around her wrists. Her sensitive skin was tingling. He was warm too...

"Hey." he said. She peeled her eyes opened and stared into his eyes. "you're gonna be fine, we'll be sent on a mission soon and the board wants your team on the plane. You won't be here for too long."

"Okay." she said, nodding her head, he nodded and let go of her, her body swayed for a moment before he steaded it with his hands wrapped securely around her waist. Great, now that's tingling too.

Diego breathed in deeply before he left the room, as if he'd never been there in the first place. But she saw it in his eyes, just for a second, his eyes had darkened with the same want he'd had when she kissed him that night, so long ago now. Though it feels like yesterday. Shit.


	16. The Journey.

Vanya still hated planes even if Klaus was holding her hand, even her twin couldn't calm her. And how could he? After that talk with Hargreeves where he all but told them that he'd be much happier if they were to die during their trip. Vanya hated how, even after so many years, it still hurt her that people thought of her as a tool, a weapon and once she wasn't any use, she was getting tossed to the wind.

"What do you think it'll be like?" Claires' small voice whispered behind them, at least the Commission hadn't been so cruel as to tear apart Allison and Claire. 

"Cold." Five said, she smiled in amusement, of course, Five, always so straight to the point. "But...beautiful." 

"Beautiful?" Claire asked. 

"Yeah, I liked watching the snow fall in New York, sometimes I'd climb to the tops of buildings and just watch it for hours, the cold that came with it, I don't know, it worked as a grounding of sorts, when I had to do...more unpleasant jobs." he said. 

Klaus and Vanya looked at each other with wide eyes, that's the most Five's ever said about his time in New York, most of the time, he'd either clamp his mouth shut or he'd snap at them to mind their own damn business, not that she could judge, compared to a lot of others, her and Klaus had been lucky. 

"It wasn't your fault you know." Claire said suddenly. 

"What?"

"All the bad things they made you do, it wasn't your fault, it's never been your fault." she said, Vanya could imagine her toothy grin. "Besides, I've never met a handsome monster."

Five laughed softly.

"Handsome, am I?"

"Very, but all the girls have to be approved by me first or the boys, I will accept only the best for you!" she declared. 

"Well, they'll have a hell of a lot to worry about with you on their case." Vanya said, grinning at the little girl. She nodded back taking her new 'role' seriously. 

-

Diego was so fucking tired of this shit, he was tired of cleaning up Hargreeves' messes and The Handlers' before him, all he wanted to do was rest, and maybe have a family...he didn't know what had come over him so suddenly in the last few years that he began to seriously think about it but he could finally see a life beyond the facility beyond being a soldier. But they had to come back alive first. Ha, now there's a funny thought. 

"It's just one more." Dave said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Our last one. Let's do it right and get home."

"You think they'll be able to handle it back at HQ?" he'd been worrying about that a lot and who could honestly blame him?

Dave didn't say anything, at least not for a while, Diego almost thought he wouldn't bother giving him an answer, just like all the other times he asked, what? He worries! Nothing wrong with that! But finally his haze of focus cleared and he turned to him with his blue eyes hard with determination.

"We're just gonna have to hope on that one."


End file.
